During most of your marriage, you and your spouse cooperated. When conflict arose, you worked things out. Now, that the two of you have separated, you must do the same during the divorce process.
Collaborative divorce is a potential option for couples who seek to avoid confrontation, bitter litigation and a time-consuming court process. Each of you played important roles in your marriage, now each of you plays significant roles in the divorce resolution. You avoid court and save a significant amount of money through the collaborative divorce route.
Saves time, bring better sense of comfort
You put your heads together during your marriage, now you put your heads together in a problem-solving approach during collaborative divorce. Together, you and your spouse discuss and decide how to deal with issues such as child support, parenting plans and division of assets.
Collaborative divorce – an approach that falls between litigation and mediation – saves time and money, while keeping thorny disagreement at arm’s length. You are not doing this alone, though. Each of you has your respective attorney present to provide you with guidance and insight. And your attorneys must have certification that they have been trained in collaborative divorce.
Here are some of the key advantages of collaborative divorce:
- Time savings that leads to a quicker resolution: With the two of you are focused on the outcome, you understand this is not the moment to waste time. Productive discussions are essential.
- A money-saving measure: No courtroom, no judge and no litigation mean significant cost savings.
- An open discussion focused on frankness and honesty: You have a goal in mind and understand that these critical talks will lead to resolution. Since both of you control the discussions, a productive outcome is likely.
- A higher level of comfort and convenience: The discussions occur in a private setting. No courtroom and no judge mean no unnecessary intimidation. Also, you do not have to cope with court schedules, which, sometimes, leads to rescheduled or canceled meetings.
Not all couples going through divorce may feel comfortable with the collaborative divorce approach. However, for the people who pursue this divorce route, collaborative divorce provides them with a sense of empowerment in playing critical roles toward resolution.