Achieving a ‘happy divorce’

Video Transcription

Mark Day: I'm not sure there can be anything such as a happy divorce. In all my training that I've done as a lawyer, as a mediator, as a Collaborative Lawyer, one of the words that we've chosen never to use is happy.

Having said that, for me, particularly in circumstances where a couple come to me and they've got children together, and whether they like it or not, it's for me to inform them that they have a future together. They still will have an ongoing relationship. It might be more of a working relationship as they work to bring up the children, but it's very important that they keep their eyes on the future.

It's very important that they look at the horizon because they have to work together. And if I can get them through that process whereby they can still retain a good working relationship beyond their separation, then I'm happy with that. Whether they're happy remains to be seen but I would hope that it's a situation that they can live with comfortably. Let's put it that way.