More Scots seek ‘happy’ divorces

TEMPERS are usually on the boil when a marriage is breaking down.

But far from dumping each others’ clothes on the front lawn and burning wedding photos, more Scots are seeking a ‘happy divorce’, a study reveals.

Couples now prefer to reach mutual separation agreements without the input of a judge. And figures show the number of court divorces in Scotland has fallen by 42 per cent.

A quarter of family law firms are handling twice as many collaborative divorces per year as they did in 2007, a survey for umbrella group Consensus Collaboration Scotland reveals.

There are now between 300 and 400 such settlements in Scotland annually.

Some 8 per cent of law firms said clients wanted to avoid court to reduce confrontation, and 23 per cent said couples wanted to reduce the impact on family members.

Other reasons for opting for such deals include reducing expenses – the settlements are completed up to 12 months quicker and are between £ ,000 and £10,000 cheaper, the findings reveal.

Most firms said people between the ages of 4 and 4 were most likely to ask for a collaborative divorce.

CCS’s Catherine Karlin said: ‘If more people can achieve a ‘happy divorce’ then many negative consequences associated with court divorces can be limited or avoided. The main beneficiary, of course, will be our children.’