When Adele’s split with her husband, Simon Konecki, was announced last month, this is what was published:
“Adele and her partner have separated. They are committed to raising their son together lovingly. As always, they ask for privacy. There will be no further comment.”
Of course, there is still a lot of press coverage, nothing sells a newspaper more than a juicy celebrity story, but that is the last thing most couples want when they are going through the stress of a separation or divorce, so how can Adele and Simon keep their divorce details private? By reaching an agreement about arrangements through mediation.
Mediation is often not considered by high net worth couples, believing they need full legal representation, or that it is just a way of saving money. However, there are definite benefits for those who have large assets to divide. Adele has amassed a fortune, said to be worth about £140 million, and way above Simon’s reputed £800,000 worth. Unless there is a prenup, it’s likely that financial negotiations are going to be difficult – and complex. Would they really want to go through the court process and for a judge to be in control of those decisions? Any family mediator would probably suggest Adele and her husband seek financial and/or legal advice, indeed any agreement made in mediation must be turned into a legally binding document, but most mediators are trained and experienced in financial matters and can deal with complex financial issues. This means they are able to help the couple make sense of the information so they can make informed decisions about their financial settlement.
Mediation reduces the pain and stress that separation puts on a couple and their children. It’s well known it was used by Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner to keep their children’s best interests at heart. Clearly, Adele and Simon are devoted to their son, Angelo. Divorce can be tough on children, even without their parents being as high profile as Adele. Specially trained child consultants (mediators) will be able to help Angelo to put his views forward in a safe and neutral setting. He won’t feel that he is making decisions, but his comments will help his parents make the best decisions about his future care etc.
It’s clear that the parents will want to protect Angelo, and most likely the full details of their arrangements from the often-sensational representation of celebrity divorces. Privacy is a major benefit of mediation.
Unfortunately, the media likes nothing more than a juicy celebrity story that shows the couple fighting for the children and about money – we’ve all seen lots of those. This often ends up with the whole family’s private details becoming public. Photographs are a media favourite and can be splashed around the world’s newspapers and TV – the sad representation of Spice Girl Mel B’s divorce being an example.
Mediation is private. If Adele follows the mediation route, her private and personal business will stay exactly that – private. The press will not know what arrangements have been made, so nor will the world – unless of Adele or her husband wishes to tell them. Take Tom Cruise, for example. He has been divorced three times and we know very little, if anything, about those divorce settlements and arrangements because he chose to use mediation.
If you want the arrangements you make to be private and handled with sensitivity and expertise – come to mediation. It means you can retain control of the decision making process and the arrangements that are put in place. Contact us to find out more.
