A British couple who were trying to work out their marital problems ended up divorced after a lawyer made a clerical error. The couple, identified only as Mr. and Mrs. Williams, separated in 2023 after 21 years of marriage – but were still trying to work out their differences when an attorney with the London firm Vardags “accidentally” filed for an order of divorce, says Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the firm’s family division. He says the lawyer had intended to apply for a divorce for another client “but inadvertently opened the electronic case file in ‘Williams v Williams’ and proceeded to apply for a final order in that case.” The online system granted the divorce within 21 minutes, McFarlane notes. When the law firm realized its mistake two days later, it filed a request with the high court to rescind the divorce order – but a judge said it was too late. Will this mistake make a reconciliation between the couple less likely? Why or why not?