Everyone should agree that mediation is the best option to settle divorces.
As your interesting article of May 20 states, only five per cent of the 9,000 divorces in Hong Kong in 1996 were settled in this way. I fear this percentage is unlikely to rise in the foreseeable future.
The main stumbling block will be at the 'gate-keeper' level rather than lack of mediators. In particular, Hong Kong divorce lawyers are not family lawyers, (despite some who claim they are) and the bottom line is the king. I find it hard to believe that they will encourage mediation rather than confrontation as legal advice and full disclosure of financial means have to be sought prior to the start of mediation.
Improvement will only come when lawyers are comprehensively trained in family law and the public demand this quality of lawyer.
THOMAS M.D. FLEMING Central
