Radio, TV and podcasts: discussing no fault divorce live with the nation
No fault divorce is the biggest shakeup of divorce laws in England and Wales for over 50 years. So, it was no surprise that there was a lot of interest from the media in talking to an experienced family lawyer like LGFL Director Rita Gupta.
All in a day’s work
In a packed 24-hour period from late evening on Tuesday 5th April, Rita talked to national radio stations, tv channels, podcasts and Instagram Live events about the details of the new system.
She also busted a few myths (it’s not a quickie divorce), and explained her views on whether it will increase the number of divorces (doubtful).
Every presenter had a different viewpoint and angle, which kept Rita on her toes all day. It also gave her and the LGFL a fascinating insight into the kind of concerns clients may have when they come to a divorce lawyer for advice.
Late night listening
Media channel are notoriously last minute, so as of Tuesday Rita only had a few slots booked, three of which were that night.
First was a live discussion with Adaeze Chiwoko on BBC Radio Manchester as part of her popular evening programme. This gave Rita a chance to focus initially on a local radio audience, and at a grass roots level.
Next was Times Radio, the national radio station from The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. Rita discussed with presenter Calum Macdonald a question that would crop up in almost every interview: does no fault make divorce too easy?
Finally came national news radio LBC, and a discussion with Darren Adams for his show starting at 1am. This gave Rita a chance to give the UK’s night-owls the heads-up on no fault divorce, long before most major news outlets were covering it.
The early one - BBC Radio 5 Live with Nicky Campbell
9am sharp, and Rita was on the air with Nicky Campbell discussing some of the issues and controversies around no fault divorce. Sharing the airwaves with Rachel Oakes from the podcast “A Good Divorce”, Rita and Nicky discussed his key point, that “There is no such thing as an amicable divorce”.
When a family lawyer from Merseyside phoned in with views often contrary Rita’s own, the discussion widened to include the “cauldron of acrimony”, the role of mediation, co-parenting and the benefits of joint applications.
Nicky also brought up the subject of “who gets the dog” in divorce, something we’ve covered in detail in this blog!
Talking Money Network podcast
Talking Money is a podcast listened to by 700K people, and also syndicated to other media outlets. With a little more time to go into detail, Rita helped demystify the misconceptions around financial settlements (you still need them) to an audience well versed in money matters.
London Live News
London Live TV is a particular favourite of our social media team, blending London news stories, features, smaller British films, and classic TV series. News at Six presenter James Dickman asked a range of thoughtful questions, allowing for an extended and balanced overview from Rita.
Live and local
Rita has appeared on BBC Radio Berkshire before, so it was little wonder that they booked her well in advance to explain no fault divorce to their 300k+ listeners on Sarah Walker’s morning show.
With barely time for a quick coffee, Rita moved on to talk to a niche radio station in the Midlands, 101.8 WCR FM. LGFL enjoy doing local radio of any description, reaching out to those who may feel that the large London law firms often featured in national coverage of legal stories are “not for them”.
Lunch and live TV
GB News is a news channel that can divide opinion, but Rita has never shied away from a challenge! She relished the opportunity to promote the need for support for people divorcing on The Briefing with Darren McCaffrey.
And finally….
Over 25 hours later, Rita was the guest on an Instagram Live event hosted by Asian Women Mean Business. Sadly, there is no recoding of this, but Rita enjoyed discussing the ramifications for South Asian women of no-fault divorce. She found a really positive response to the changes in the online discussion, and was struck how the word ‘dignity’ came up repeatedly.
Summing up her marathon of media interviews, a tired but excited Rita said:
“I was honoured to be able to share LGFL’s holistic viewpoint on the new divorce law changes across local and national media channels. It was interesting to note the contrary views of the press, and reiterated again the importance of looking at family law through the lens of a client and not always as their lawyer.”
If your media channel, podcast, magazine, newspaper, or conference would like a family lawyer to discuss any aspect of family law, you know who to call!
- Call us
- Email us