Pitt and Aniston hire divorce judge

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have reportedly 'hired a judge' for their divorce proceedings.

Thanks to state laws of California the pair are able to negotiate their divorce in their lawyers' offices in the presence of temporary judge Jill Robbins, thus preventing the details of the split from being published in public court papers.

WENN quotes celebrity divorce lawyer Raoul Felder as saying: "This is a rent-a-judge situation. It's something that can only be done in the state of California."

The secretive nature of the proceedings again raises the question as to the reasons behind the split, particularly the possible involvement of Angelina Jolie.