The pair, who married 27 years ago and reportedly had no prenuptial agreement, are said to have drawn up a private agreement to divide their assets before announcing their divorce this week.
For high-profile couples such as the Gates, the decision may be prompted by a desire to avoid costly court litigation and retain privacy.
Spurred on by court backlogs exacerbated by Covid, and an increasing number of creative alternatives to litigation, she said, couples are increasingly deciding against going to court.
‘We don’t do those round here,’ was the response of one Lancashire lawyer to our suggestion of a private financial dispute resolution.
Early research suggest a boom in divorce as a result of the pressure cooker of lockdown: law firm Stewarts logged a 122% increase in inquiries between July and October, compared with the same period last year.
Previously, if a couple chose arbitration rather than litigation, they were bound by the arbiter’s decision, except in extraordinary circumstances.