Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-26
P|CKFORD-M|LLER
| DIVORCE REACT|NG
Jack and Mari|Iyn "Gum the
Cards" by Undue Public
ity, Attorneys Say.
By Cable to The Star.

BY CaDie 10 Inc STAR
PARIS, Jpne 25.-The advance pub
licity given the Jack Pickford, Maril'
lyn Miller divorce threatens not only
to gum the cards" for this couple,
but to react against all Americans
who may in future desire to take adj
vantage of French facilities for unity
ing the nuptial knot.
Scores of American lawyers in Paris
who have been deriving a large share
Of their revenue from the art of steer
ing unhappily mated Americans
through the labyrinths of French dl'
vorce law are decidedly annoyed at
the Pickfords for transgressing the
first rule of the game, which is to
say nothing about your divorce prof.
ects, and even to deny them If neces-
sary.
French Merely Tolerant.
The French are tolerant and do not
care how many foreigners get dl-
vorces in the French courts, provided
there is no unseemly publicity about
IL. But stage people and society
leaders who want to use the French
courts as a billboard for self adver-
Using are not regarded with favor,
would be to make divorces for for
eigners much harder to get in the
future.
French law already requires that
the parties be bona fide residents OF
France. 1t has been held that such
residence must be established
minimum of six months, and that the
parties shall not have another and
more permanent residence in another
country. In practice. however, the
courts do not 20 behind the returns,
and If the parties state that they have
no other residence than furnished
fat in Paris, the statement is &C.
cepted, even if the applicants are
well known to have palatial homes
In America.
Easy for Bona Eide Residents.
For bona fide residents divorce is
indeed easy, provided both parties de-
re it an,. can agree on the terms.
It is necessary merely to appear
before the Judge and refuse publicly
to be reconciled. The decree follows
.omatically- In such cases 1t Is
unnecessary to employ an information
ally famous lawyer-any French bar
rister can do it, and many of them
will undertake to handle the whole
case. all expenses included, for $40.
The famous American legal adviser
becomes necessary when the question
of residence is not absolutely clear.
Technical questions then arise which
can be answered only by an attorney
of great experience in similar cases.
He knows exactly how to bubble
around the fine points of the law and
the precedents.
Some American lawyers here under
take to handle the whole case from
the time the parties leave their Amer.
lean home on the last long cruise to-
gether. They have at their disposal
a number of furnished apartments In
which their clients can establish legal
residence. =
Flat Claimed as Home.
A certain fiat in the fashionable
Etoile section has been used as
legal residence by long succession
of American Divorces in the last five
years, including several couples whose
divorces have echoed around the
world.
Needless to say, the fees exacted
b. American attorneys are on quite
another scale from those cited above.
They are apt to vary with the wealth
and prominence of the parties. but
rarely come to less than $1,000. and
are often many times tina: sum.
The American legal adviser rarely
has any status in the French courts.
He has a French partner, member
of the French bar, who takes care
of all the formalities in. court and re-
ceives a small share Of the fee.