High-profile married couples who are splitting up may soon be able to avoid airing their dirty linen in public with the advent of private divorce courts.
From this week the process of arbitration, previously used mainly for commercial disputes, is being opened up to be able to deal with divorces, as well as financial provision for children, property and inheritance issues, claims between unmarried couples and property disputes, The Times reported.
Around 300 former judges and family lawyers have signed up for training and already the first 35 former judges have qualified to adjudicate on such cases.
There is said to be a growing demand for arbitration to be used in family disputes, partly in response to media demands in recent years for greater access to the courts.
It may see couples pay up to ￡5,000 a day to choose their own judge or arbitrator to obtain a legally-binding decision.
If they can afford it, it would mean that rulings would remain confidential, so that colourful celebrity divorces may be able to remain under wraps.
Two retired judges, Sir Hugh Bennett and Sir Peter Singer, are set to be among the first to offer themselves as arbitrators.
They already both offer couples private hearings in which they advise on what a judge would be likely to award if the matter goes to court.
Sir Hugh told The Times: "Arbitration cannot happen unless all parties consent. It cannot be imposed, unlike litigation.
"The parties, by appointing their arbitrator, choose their 'judge', who will take the arbitration through all its stages."
随着私立离婚法庭的出现，那些高调结婚又即将分手的夫妇也许很快就能避免在公众眼皮下晒家丑的命运了。
据《泰晤士报》报道，从本周起，原本主要用于商业纠纷的仲裁程序将可以用于离婚案件，还可用于子女抚养费纠纷、财产继承纠纷和未婚同居财产纠纷。
约有300名前法官和家庭律师已经报名参加了培训，而且首批报名的35名前法官已获得判决这类案件的资格。
据称家庭纠纷对仲裁需求量越来越大，某种程度上是受媒体近年来呼吁拉近法庭和民众距离的影响。
到时候，夫妇们将自主选择法官或仲裁员来获得一个有法律约束力的判决，花费是每天最多5000英镑。
如果他们付得起这笔钱，将意味着判决会秘密进行，这样那些夺人眼球的名人离婚案也将得以保密。
两位已退休法官——休?贝内特爵士和皮特?兴尔爵士将加入第一批自愿做仲裁员的人。
这两人已经为一些夫妇举行了私人听证会，在听证会上他们就该案件上法庭时法官可能做出的判决给出了意见。
休爵士告诉《泰晤士报》说：“除非所有当事人都同意，否则无法进行仲裁。这和诉讼不一样，是不能强行实施的。
“当事人通过指定仲裁员选择他们的‘法官’，这名法官将按步骤施行仲裁。”
Vocabulary:
high-profile: 倍受瞩目的，高调的
adjudicate: 判决
under wraps: 不公开的，保密的
litigation: 诉讼
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