Marilyn Stowe Blog

Out of the frying pan, into the FT…

There is a lot of media interest in divorce and family law developments at the moment, and I had more than my fair share this weekend. It is very enjoyable to be asked to comment on all these topics, not least because over this particular bank holiday weekend, it was a major relief from the task of being like King (or should I say Queen) Canute. I tried in vain to keep spring cleaning the house, against an incessant ever incoming tide of mess: two whopping great Briards with muddy paws, one visiting son who leaves everything where it falls, and the usual pile upon pile of never diminishing washing. Not to mention keeping tidy the kitchen at Passover…..Long sufferers will know exactly what I mean!

I hope you had a more relaxing weekend break than I did! I couldn’t wait to get back to work…

“Arbitration is tailored to the couple and we do not have to go through the entire process which we do in court. If you do not need a hearing, the arbitrator can decide something on paper. It’s more informal and quicker.”

Family Law Arbitration was the subject of articles in the Financial Times and The Daily Telegraph yesterday and, as one of the country’s 40 trained family law arbitrators, I was asked to comment upon some of the scheme’s benefits.  I have detailed these in previous posts and shall not repeat them here. Suffice to say, I am delighted that Family Law Arbitration – an ambitious but potentially cost-effective solution to the court process – is beginning to draw such positive attention. The articles both focused on arbitration for wealthy couples but, as I have explained over at Family Lore, I believe that arbitration may also be suitable for couples who need to save money.

In fact, it has been a busy few days for Stowe Family Law. Today I am in The Times, commenting on the growth of “divorce tourism”: it is now estimated that international divorce cases account for 24,000 of the 150,000 divorces that take place in England and Wales every year. Yesterday I appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, discussing grandparents’ rights for a special Easter Monday programme about “grandparenthood”. You can listen to the programme here.

“His wife took [the frying pan] when she moved out, so he took her engagement ring in a bid to get revenge. When everything was resolved, they had to meet each other halfway between their new properties at a motorway service station to exchange the items.”

David Milburn, a solicitor at Stowe Family Law’s Hale office, was featured in the Manchester Evening News discussing some of the more unusual demands spouses make when reaching a divorce settlement. His comments about frying pans, smoked salmon and gourmet mustard went on to feature in The Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail – and even the Calgary Herald.

So many family law-related news stories, in such a short space of time. And a very welcome break from domesticity which won’t come as news to my family – it just doesn’t suit me at all!