A group of top London divorce lawyers have joined forces to remove the acrimony from big money divorces.

 

Divorce lawyers  have pledged to assist celebrities and other wealthy couples achieve a divorce which is confidential, dignified and civilised by chosing collaboration over litigation.

 

Launching  the Central London Collaborative Forum (CLCF) in London this week, Jane Simpson, Chairman of top family law firm Manches said that such a move “would hopefully serve to rebut the notion that divorce lawyers who have historically acted in high profile and high net worth cases are wedded to an adversarial approach which can all too often damage families.”

The collaborative approach, which has already revolutionised the practice of family law in North America, allows divorce couples to work with a team of professionals to avoid court proceedings and to achieve a settlement best suited to their specific needs and those of their children.

 

It focuses on finding an agreed solution through a series of roundtable meetings between the couple and their divorce lawyers with other professionals such as accountants, pensions advisers and therapists added as necessary.

 

“The goal of collaborative law is to help couples to resolve all (divorce) matters arising out of their separation in a dignified and respectful way for the benefit of the whole family and to give them a better communication base for resolving any other issues which may arise in the future,” Simpson said.

 

Clintons partner Maggie Rae, who represented the late Diana, Princess of Wales and more recently, footballer’s wife Karen Parlour, said that the collaborative approach, in her experience, helped achieve settlements at less cost and acrimony than a conventional divorce lawyer approach.