Quickie divorces to save months of turmoil

A trained Galway mediator is offering ‘quickie’ divorces cutting out months if not years of turmoil – and at a fraction of the price charged by the legal profession.

Jarlath Loughnane of Galway Divorce and Separations, says there is no need for couples to go through the courts when seeking a divorce or a separation.

In fact, the whole process, he says, can be painless. But that’s only if the couple enter into a mediation process, and that’s where he comes in.

A former auctioneer, Mr Loughnane admits he knows how to negotiate and be a professional mediator.

“No one enters a marriage with intentions to end in a divorce or separation. Couples throughout the country whose marriage has broken down and who want to divorce or separate can bring a swift and express conclusion to their marriage and save several thousand euros on legal fees in the process.

“This is a new service and one that is badly needed. I am the first lay mediator offering this kind of service in Galway. People think they have to go to solicitors and wait months to have their case heard in court. But once the couple come to an agreement about assets, custody and property, it should be a straight forward process,” he said.

 Mr Loughnane has a diploma in legal studies and is a qualified mediator. Through him a couple can obtain a Decree Divorce or Judicial Separation in a few short weeks.

 When the couple agree the terms, it is written up in contract format and signed by both husband and wife and witnessed by Mr Loughnane.

“Once the Memorandum of Agreement is signed by both parties, the ‘war’ is over between the spouses and the white flag can be raised as it were. There does not have to be winners or losers, and common sense prevails. The only process left to be done is the paperwork for court,” he adds.

Mr Loughnane wouldn’t say how much his service costs but he said it was a fraction of what a divorce would cost through a solicitor, which would be at least €5,000.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.