British Government Encourages Divorcing Couples To Try Mediation

Great Britain is trying to save everyone time and money by requiring most divorcing couples to try divorce mediation before battling it out in court. The government believes that it can take emotional strain off of couples and financial strain off of the court system by having splitting couples experience a “mediation awareness session” before taking their situation before a judge.

The new rules will officially go into effect this spring, though lawmakers note that marriages that involve domestic abuse and sexual abuse will be excluded from the requirement. In fact, all couples can insist on a court date – though officials hope that most will see the advantages of choosing mediation.

According to statistics, mediation takes an average of 110 days in England, as compared with 435 for traditional court divorces. At the same time, mediation costs an average of just over 500 pounds, while a divorce costs an average of almost 3,000 pounds in Great Britain.