Couples in Cornwall seeking to end their relationship are being offered a revolutionary new approach designed to reduce the emotional cost to themselves and their children when families split.

Two solicitors from Truro and one from Penzance are the first in the county to complete special training and practise Collaborative Law.

This involves couples setting the agenda themselves and discussing what they want in a series of round-the-table meetings.

The couples and their solicitors work together in the same room to reach agreement without the need for costly and stressful court battles.

Seven hundred lawyers nationwide have been trained to take this collaborative route, with encouraging early results.

The revolutionary approach is now being pioneered in Cornwall by Truro-based Kathryn Major and Peter Shaw, of Bray and Dilks and Hancock Caffin respectively, and Peter Griffiths, of Nalders' Penzance office.

"By all sitting together we ensure that couples stay in control of their own futures, instead of leaving decisions to a judge in a court room," says Mr Griffiths.

"Collaborative law is a logical extension of our commitment, as members of the Resolution group of family lawyers, to adopting a conciliatory approach which puts the needs of any children involved first."

Kathryn Major comments: "It takes a certain kind of couple, and a special kind of approach - one focused on constructive solutions rather than confrontation - to make it work. This process has achieved remarkable results where it has been practised elsewhere in the UK and we are confident it will here, too."

Peter Shaw points out that If an agreement cannot be reached, and court is seen as the only solution, the lawyers involved cannot act for either party in the subsequent court case. "This means, therefore, that everyone involved, including the lawyers, has an incentive to settle the case."