Is Gary Lineker right?

Gary Lineker, who hosts BBC1’s Match Of The Day as well as BT Sport’s Champions League coverage, has recently claimed that lawyers manipulate their involvement to boost their fees and as a result, create ‘hate’ between the parties involved.

He announced in January that he and his second wife, model and actress Danielle Bux, 36, were divorcing. The couple are understood to have agreed a financial settlement and remain on good terms.

He told the Radio Times: ‘Just generally speaking, it’s very easy to get married and very difficult to get divorced. And we know that lawyers try to manipulate it to make you spend more money and basically end up hating each other.’

Many divorce lawyers accept that the Matrimonial Causes Act is outdated and reform is overdue. The biggest criticism of the current system is the absence of ‘no fault’ divorce and this is something that Resolution, the representative body for all family lawyers, has been campaigning to change.

Michelle Uppal , Head of Divorce and Finances, comments: “Most family lawyers attempt to overcome these shortcomings by promoting reasoned thought and pragmatic solutions to diffuse hatred between the parties. In all cases, dispute resolution and out of court settlements are a priority from the outset of the case. Family lawyers do not stir up hatred in order to maximise their fee income. It is a myth that we are driven by greed and so, we become easy targets.”

“Mediation, collaborative law and Arbitration are key to achieving outcomes, factoring in clients’ emotional and financial needs. The DIY online divorces and mathematics formulae that Gary Lineker advocated cannot possibly address the multi-faceted aspects of many divorces and can only lead to dissatisfaction.”

“Collaborative law makes legal advice transparent and places the client’s needs within the framework of the family’s best interests, which means lawyers working together. As a collaborative lawyer, I see parties work to address what is important to them. They are in control of the process and they set the agenda and lawyers, family consultants and, if required, other experts work together to assist both parties to achieve their aspirations or what has been coined ‘the happy divorce’. Most of us strive for our clients to become whole again through the process and some clients need that level of support. In Gary’s case he wants a system where he can exit as quick as he enters, which is not suitable for everyone.”

If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in this article please contact Michelle Uppal on mu@milesandpartners.com.

The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published. Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.