All Settled? A study of legally binding separation agreements and private ordering in family law in Scotland

这项研究将增加我们对家庭司法系统中私人秩序的理解；特别侧重于苏格兰使用《协议纪要》(MOAS)，但对其他类似司法管辖区具有更广泛的相关性。对具有全国代表性的MOAS样本内容的早期研究是在1990年代进行的(Wasoff等人，1997年)。自那时以来，发生了一些重大变化，使得开展可比研究变得及时和具有政策相关性。苏格兰家庭法提供了一个鼓励使用私人订货的法定框架。1985年《家庭法(苏格兰)法》，特别是第9条，规定了指导法院批准离婚经济条款的原则。通过减少司法自由裁量权，明确“游戏规则”，只给予有限的司法权力来更改或撤销协议条款，它鼓励各方达成自己的和解，而不是诉诸法院。虽然这项立法在1996年进行研究时已经生效，但它是相对较新的。从那时起，已经有许多关于第九条原则的司法裁决，家庭律师在运作方面也变得经验丰富。此外，自那以后，其他几项同样有利于私人订购的法案也生效了。1991年《儿童抚养法》和1995年《儿童(苏格兰)法》鼓励双方同意的安排。2004年《民事伙伴关系法》和2006年《(苏格兰)家庭法》扩大了家庭法的范围，将婚姻以外的成人关系包括在内，从而扩大了可能寻求通过《婚姻保护法》来规范其关系，特别是关系破裂的夫妻范围。这项研究将评估这些法定改革对使用家庭津贴的范围和性质的影响。家庭法的实践也发生了重大变化，例如更多地使用调解和协作法，加上可获得法律援助的变化，改变了法律格局。近年来，苏格兰家庭法在很大程度上进行了编纂，简化了法律框架，使其现代化。这些改革代表着一个完善和明确界定的家庭法体系，但许多人并不在正式的、以法院为基础的司法论坛中使用这些法律规则；相反，他们使用私人命令作为解决争端或处理家庭关系变化的后果的手段。由于主要关注谈判和协商一致，我们不知道在这种情况下会发生什么，也不知道这些法定措施的原则和规定如何反映在私人协议中。这项研究将探讨这些变化对协议使用的影响、协议内容的详细性质以及有关各方的经验。它还将考虑在私人秩序中遵守家庭法法定框架的更广泛目标的程度，以及在多大程度上私人秩序是在法律的阴影下进行的。研究分为两个部分。第一个将从近几年来具有全国代表性的约600个MOA样本中确定和收集信息。第二次会议将跟进其中约30项协议，与其中一方进行深入的电话访问，探讨他们达成协议和履行协议条款的经验。此外，我们亦会与约10至15名草拟协议的律师进行电话访问。它将提供一个重要的数据来源，特别是关于苏格兰家庭法中MOAS的范围和性质。更广泛地说，它将有助于理解私人订货在家庭关系中的运作，以及上述法律规定和实践的变化对个别当事人及其协议的影响和了解的程度，进而有助于了解未来政策和实践的发展。

The research will add to our understanding of private ordering in the family justice system; focusing in particular on the use of Minutes of Agreement (MoAs) in Scotland but with broader relevance for other similar jurisdictions. Earlier research into the contents of a nationally representative sample of MoAs was conducted in the 1990s (Wasoff et al 1997). Since then, there have been a number of significant changes making it timely and policy relevant to undertake comparable research. Scots family law provides a statutory framework which encourages the use of private ordering. The Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985, particularly s.9, sets out principles which guide the courts in awarding financial provision on divorce. By reducing judicial discretion, making 'the rules of the game' clear and giving only limited judicial power to vary or set aside the terms of an agreement, it encourages parties to reach their own settlement without recourse to the courts. Whilst this legislation was in force at the time of the 1996 research, it was relatively new. Since then there have been many judicial decisions regarding the s.9 principles, and family lawyers have become experienced in their operation. In addition, several other Acts have since come into force which similarly favour private ordering. The Child Support Act 1991 and the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 encourage consensual arrangements. The Civil Partnership Act 2004 and the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 have extended the scope of family law to include adult relationships other than marriage, thus widening the range of couples who might seek to regulate their relationship, and in particular its breakdown, by means of MoAs. This research will assess the impact of these statutory reforms on the extent and nature of the use of MoAs.There have also been significant shifts in the practice of family law, e.g. in the greater use of mediation and collaborative law which, together with changes in the availability of legal aid, have transformed the legal landscape. In recent years, Scots family law has been largely codified, simplifying and modernizing the legal framework. These reforms represent a well developed and clearly defined system of family law but many individuals do not use these legal rules within a formal, court-based, judicial forum; instead they use private ordering as a means of resolving disputes or dealing with the consequences of changing family relationships. With the predominant focus on negotiation and consensus, we just don't know what happens in that context and how the principles and provisions of these statutory measures are reflected in private agreements. This research will explore the impact of these changes on the use of agreements, the detailed nature of their content, and the experiences of the parties involved. It will also consider how much the broader objectives of the statutory framework of family law are observed in private ordering, and how much private ordering is carried out 'in the shadow of the law'. The research is in two parts. The first will identify and collect information from a nationally representative sample of about 600 MoAs, from a recent year. The second will follow up about 30 of these agreements with in-depth telephone interviews with one of the parties involved to explore their experience of reaching agreement and meeting its terms. Telephone interviews will also be conducted with about 10 to 15 solicitors who drew up agreements. It will provide a significant data source specifically in respect of the extent and nature of MoAs in family law in Scotland. More broadly it will contribute to an understanding of the operation of private ordering in the context of familial relationships and the extent to which the individual parties and their agreements are influenced and informed by the changes in legal provisions and practice outlined above, in turn helping to inform the development of future policy and practice.