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Divorce American-Style Works Better, Says UK Judge

Posted Oct 15, 2008, 11:32 am CDT
By Martha Neil

A fledgling idea in the United Kingdom five years ago, American-style collaborative divorce works better than the traditional, often acrimonious, court battle, a senior United Kingdom family judge says.

Speaking at a legal conference, Mr Justice Coleridge of the High Court said there are now some 1,250 lawyers in the U.K. who promote the nonlitigious approach to the end of a marriage, compared to only a handful in 2003, reports the London Times.

"Under the new process, the spouses and their lawyers meet to agree settlements at a fraction of the cost of a full-blown courtroom battle," the newspaper explains. "If the negotations fail, the couples have to start all over again with new lawyers."

Earlier coverage:

ABA Journal: "Putting a Kinder Face on Litigation"

ABAJournal.com: "Kinder, Gentler Collaborative Divorce Also Costs Less"



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