Samenvatting

In recent years many changes occurred in procedural divorce law and divorce practice in the Netherlands. The bottomline of these changes is that divorcing partners themselves should settle the consequences of the divorce as much as possible by mutual agreement. The author describes how in the same period divorce mediation boomed, especially after the introduction in 2009 of the so-called collaborative divorce. This type of mediation is characterised by the presence of lawyers acting for each of the two parties and the line-up of a team of experts. In general the supply of divorce guidance has diversified substantially. It is important that clients are able to choose the form of divorce guidance that suits them best. Divorce mediators should have enough experience and knowledge to handle the psychological as well as the legal aspects of a divorce. Finally the chances of a good ‘after marriage’ are enhanced by ensuring access to affordable mediation for all divorcing couples.