10:32am Tuesday 9th February 2010
A FAMILY law expert has called on changes to the divorce laws to remove blame from the situation.
Judith Middleton, of Latimer Hinks Solicitors, backed calls for divorce law reform in England and Wales after new statistics highlighted the flaws of a “blamecentred”
divorce process.
The latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that behaviour and adultery were cited in the majority of divorces.
Resolution, the national family lawyers’ association, says that this is because couples cannot get a divorce without having to blame one another for unreasonable behaviour or adultery, unless they wait for two years.
Resolution is calling for a new system in which couples can divorce on the grounds of “irretrievable breakdown” of their marriage, with a maximum waiting period of six months.
Ms Middleton, who is also Resolution’s Tees Valley spokesperson, said: “Family break-ups are a sad fact of modern life.
“With one in three children experiencing the break-up of their parents’ relationship before their 16th birthday, it’s essential that conflict is kept to a minimum when families separate.
“But, as these figures show, the present system encourages mudslinging and blame.
“At the moment, couples not wanting to blame one another have to wait two years before they can get a divorce.
“But for many, waiting two years to sort out their finances rules out this option.”
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