A LUDLOW man is urging people to look at trying to seek an amicable split when a relationship breaks down.

Steve Price was shocked when his marriage broke down just before his planned retirement.

But working with his solicitor he was able to resolve his divorce quickly and cheaply by opting to use the collaborative divorce process – one of the first such cases in Shropshire.

Now, Steve is backing a Law Society campaign that promotes the professional work of solicitors.

“The depth of understanding and experience my solicitor brought to the divorce process was invaluable,” he said.

“I wanted the divorce to be as amicable as possible and my solicitor was able to achieve that.”

After learning his marriage of 36 years was in trouble Steve approached Lanyon Bowdler, a law firm he knew from his time as a manager at Shropshire Council and spoke to Colin Spanner, head of the firm’s family department.

“I didn’t feel in control of the situation, but Colin’s maturity of personality and his professional experience helped me regain control,” said Mr Price.

“Colin said we could go through the courts or we could try the collaborative divorce approach.

“He explained how it worked and set up the first of four meetings between me and my ex-wife. He helped put things in perspective for me.”

David Battisby, managing partner at Lanyon Bowdler, said the company is backing a campaign by the Law Society to make people aware of the services available from law firms.