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“I WON’T SEE YOU IN COURT”
How a new divorce process is bringing a positive change to family breakdown in Devon
As Devon experiences its peak divorce period of the year, a group of specially trained family lawyers from across the county, including Cartridges partner Bridget Garrood, are raising awareness of a new and “friendlier” separation process that aims to take some of the conflict, pain and expense out of a family breakdown.
While divorce rates in England and Wales are actually at their lowest for 30 years, January is always the busiest time for family lawyers across the country who are inundated with up to 50% more divorce or separation applications.
As part of National Collaborative Law Week from Monday 24th – Friday 28th January, a group of 29 specialist lawyers who form Devon Collaborative Law are calling for wider understanding of the new alternative to a bitter court-room battle. The lawyers, from individual practices across Devon, specialise in Collaborative Law which was first devised in the US. Whereas normal divorce proceedings are carried out through letters and in court, with Collaborative Law the separated couple and their lawyers meet face to face around a table and work things through. While the average length of time for a divorce is 18 months, with Collaborative Law it’s six.
In Collaborative Family Law, the lawyers agree that they are there to help the clients through the collaborative process, they are not there to take the case to court and are prevented from doing so by signing a contract called a Participation Agreement. This is central to the process because it prevents one party from being able to bully the other with the threat of court proceedings.
In the three years since Devon Collaborative Law was formed, an estimated 75 couples in the county have used the new process.
More details on this organisation can be found on www.devoncollaborativelawyers.com or see our own Collaborative Law webpage.
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