Latest Expert Witness News

DIY divorces rise in wake of Heather Mills case

Heather Mills's decision to represent herself during her divorce court battle with Sir Paul McCartney has led to a surge in warring couples opting to carry out their own 'DIY divorces', according to a leading lawyer. More than 70 per cent of estranged husbands and wives will soon attempt to come to a financial settlement without the aid of a solicitor, said James Pirrie, a senior partner at Family Law in Partnership.

Divorces like Mills-McCartney have meant non-celebrities now see divorce as this terrifying, gladiatorial struggle between lawyers who are effectively mad vultures preying on the carcass of the marriage. People wrongly think that, by going it alone, they have more chance of avoiding antagonism with their partners. Sadly, that is the reversal of the truth.'

Mills will learn the wisdom of her decision to go it alone in the Family Division of the Royal Courts of Justice tomorrow, when Mr Justice Hugh Bennett reveals how much of McCartney's estimated £825m fortune she will receive; a report last week claimed it would be close to £25m.

The divorce of the couple, who split in May 2006 after four years together, turned into one of the most costly and acrimonious battles in British legal history. Mills originally hired litigator Anthony Julius, who represented Princess Diana, but a series of media outbursts led to a parting of the ways. She ended up fighting her case without legal representation, against McCartney and what was probably the most expensive divorce team assembled in this country.

back