A mistake made at a London law firm had an unexpected and apparently irreversible outcome.

According to The Guardian, the final order for the divorce of a couple, identified as Mr. and Mrs. Williams, was requested by accident with a "click of the wrong button" given by a lawyer from the office of Ayesha Vardag - who presents herself as the "Divorce Diva".

Wrong couple get divorced after solicitor ‘clicks wrong button’
London law firm admits to error but judge says final order cannot be overturned
The GuardianEmine Sinmaz
Ayesha Vardag
Ayesha, described as The Diva of Divorce (TIME), has a reputation for hard-hitting litigation, commercial savvy, fearlessness, and strategic intellectual vision.
Vardags

The mistake was made when the lawyers intended to conclude the divorce of another client but "inadvertently opened the electronic file of 'Williams v Williams' by mistake", explained Sir Andrew McFarlane, the family judge who examined the case.

The divorce was finalized 21 minutes after the accidental click.

The Williams, who had separated in 2023 after 21 years together, were still sorting out financial issues when their accidental divorce was granted and made official.

The lawyers, who realized their mistake just two days after the accidental click, asked the court to revoke the divorce.

However, Judge McFarlane refused to accept the request. "There is a strong public policy interest in respecting the certainty and finality that flows from a final divorce order," he explained.

"As in many similar online proceedings, the user can only reach the final screen, on which the last click is made, after scrolling through a series of previous screens," the magistrate points out.

The judge added that he wanted to highlight the fact that the online divorce portal system "does not issue a final divorceorder that was not wanted simply at the 'click of a wrong button'".

Ayesha Vardag, founder and director of Vardags and one of the UK's leading divorce lawyers, criticized the magistrate for his "poor decision" regarding the solicitors' attempt to correct the error.

"The state should not be divorcing people on the basis of an administrative error," she added in a statement seen by People.

Couple Accidentally Gets Divorced After Lawyer ‘Clicks Wrong Button’ Using Online Portal
A former couple known only as Mr and Mrs Williams were accidentally divorced after a mistake made by lawyers at Vardags law firm in London, The Guardian reported on April 16
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"There has to be intent on the part of the person getting divorced, because the principle of intent is the basis of justice in our legal system. When a mistake is brought to the attention of the court, and everyone accepts that a mistake has been made, it's obvious that it has to be undone," maintains the "Diva of Divorce".

"Court officials say that this happens quite often with the new system. And it should have been corrected," Vardag adds in the statement. "But in this case, inexplicably, the husband didn't accept it and the judge effectively ruled that 'the computer says they're divorced'."

"It's the kind of decision that, in my opinion, would be overturned by a higher court, but if, in reality, the result is that the woman who wanted the divorce got it, why would it be worth doing in this case?" he continued.

"That means that, for now, our law says that you can get divorced for a mistake made in an online system. And that's not right, it 's not sensible, it's not fair," she concluded.

The lawyer usually uses the phrase "we must abandon the Victorian idea that marriage lasts for life" as a slogan. The British computer system apparently agrees with her.