Finding our feet in a snowstorm: Life in An Age of Uncertainty

The Law Society Gazette reports today that 77 courts face closure over the next 7 years. There are concerns as to how this will affect access to justice for clients and their families. The closures come in the wake of the uncertainty of Brexit and what effect this will have on courts; will there be a slowdown and possible delays? Could there even be obstructions to important legislation being passed? A common concern for many is the issue of no-fault divorce, could this issue be held back due to other issues receiving priority?

Frequently, disputes and challenges on the greater world stage find their mirror in disputes within couples or families. As individuals seek closure in the stressful uncertainty of divorce or separation, so do we all find our fears in the uncertainty of the current political and sociological climate.

What lessons can we learn from the stress of living life when a sense of balance may seem far off?

Whilst courts play a tremendously important role in resolving disputes fairly and with a sense of justice, with the forward-thinking alternatives of collaborative law, mediation and arbitration; the future of justice might not look so bleak as one first thinks. All three can bring the sense of closure and an “acceptable settlement:” a settlement all clients can live with and find suits their narrative.

Mediation offers an alternative platform for dispute resolution, one which can bring down the high octane court process and shift the focus towards a decision suitable and agreeable to all. The shift is away from blame games or apportioning guilt, towards looking to the future with a sense of fairness. Away from the anger attached to past conflict and to a future with reduced stress and discord. It also empowers and encourages clients to take control of their own lives. It can be tremendously liberating and freeing to make one’s own decisions and to have such a role in shaping the future of our lives.

In a life lived in uncertain times, alternative methods of dispute resolution may offer something more fulfilling and supportive. They may just help offer the sense of control, growth and power which we may all have somewhat lost a sense of. As the world can ever more seem to take away our sense of control, perhaps our will to find closure and peace may just restore it.