As reported by The Telegraph, wealthy couples are turning towards arbitration to settle their divorce disputes. My take? Bravo!
Rather than utilize the courts for divorces, the couples are instead seeking alternative measures to settle their disputes.
According to one lawyer, James Pirrie of the Family Law in Partnership:
“Court queues are growing – meaning longer delays and more costs for those going re are inevitable stories of bad outcomes.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. In my experience, people don’t understand how many divorce cases are heard everyday. To put it simply: the courts are swamped.
As somebody who talks to judges for a living, I can also tell you that judges love it when people utilize the court system as little as possible.
In family law, the issues tend to be very messy. Often the legal issues are less factual and more emotional. A rigid set of laws is often no way to help fueding couples decide how to divide their marital finances and who gets child custody.
Arbitration, mediation, collaborative law – whatever you want to call it – is recommended by just about every family law attorney I know. The lawyers that don’t espouse collaborative family law are the jerks (dregs?) of the profession. These kinds of lawyers are the ones that people hate. Trust me.
I always encourage mediation for my clients. The costs are lower, the emotions are kept better in-check, and the children’s best interest is better served. Why wouldn’t you consider family law arbitration – wealthy person or not?
See Wealthy couples turning to arbitration to settle divorce disputes, The Telegraph, April 10, 2012.
-This post was written by Joseph M. Flanders, an Apple Valley MN divorce lawyer.
