An innovative legal tech developed by lawyers is changing the divorce landscape in Malaysia while simultaneously supporting the Malaysian government’s goal of increasing the adaptation and use of technology across as many industries as possible.
Launched early this July, Klik Divorce is the country’s first digital divorce platform and was created with the primary intent to ease the pathway of those seeking legal avenues for the dissolution of marriage.
It was developed by lawyers Dato Fion Wong and Dato Chris Chin, both strong advocates for the adoption of technology in Malaysia’s legal industry and also the founders of Malaysia’s First A.I. legal assistant Askaila, that was launched last year.
Through Klik Divorce users can build divorce terms i.e. spouse maintenance, child custody, maintenance and visitation rights as well as the division of matrimonial assets. With just one click, divorce papers are immediately generated for printing and signing. If the divorcing couple mutually agree on the terms, the whole process takes only about 5 minutes. The law firm can then review the papers and prepare them for filing in the Court the next working day.
Meanwhile, those who encounter challenges or need help to facilitate settlement agreements, can engage the service of a lawyer; online or in-person.
That, in a nutshell, is divorce in the digital age.
Klik Divorce offers two key positives amidst the pains of divorce proceedings, namely time and cost savings.
“Many people are unable to afford the legal fees for divorce, especially with today’s increasing costs of living. Additionally it can take anywhere between 6-12 months for terms to be discussed back and forth before the divorce is filed in court,” says Dato Fion.
“Adopting legal technology to execute simple manual tasks can save a lot of time and reduce costs which make legal fees affordable to more people. This also enables lawyers to dedicate more time and effort to develop the law.”
Klik Divorce is especially beneficial for uncontested divorce cases. Not only does it make the process faster and smoother, it also leads to quicker settlements, freeing up judiciary workload and court time. As the first legal online service in Malaysia, it also sets an example and paves the way for more digitalised services.
Dato Fion said that despite receiving encouraging and positive feedback from users, there are unfortunately lawyers who continue to openly resist the adoption of this platform.
“Nevertheless, despite the obstacles that lie ahead, we are determined to drive Malaysia’s legal industry towards adopting technology to offer efficiency and value to the public. We are also confident that in the near future Malaysia’s legal industry can catch up and compete with other nations whose legal technologies are already ahead of us,” added Dato Chris.
