Going through a divorce often is a stressful and emotionally taxing process. If you and your spouse want to divorce amicably, one way to do that is to consider a collaborative divorce, which avoids couples ending up fighting in court.
In a collaborative divorce, couples commit to working out their divorce agreement outside of court. They sit down with their attorneys and discuss who will keep the house and how they will split other assets, the custody of their children and even who will keep the beloved family dog. They continue to work out these issues until they have an agreement both parties can live with.
Some of the advantages of using collaborative law in a divorce include the following:
- Collaborative divorce reduces conflict and bitterness. Battling in court in a divorce doesn’t help either party truly move on and heal. With a collaborative divorce, couples avoid that and can come to a more peaceful solution. That can help their children move forward too, as they know their parents chose to work things out, and they don’t become part of a custody battle either.
- Collaborative divorce is quicker than a traditional divorce. Collaborative divorce isn’t ruled by a judge’s schedule, and as a result, it often takes less time to work through. With attorneys trained in collaborative divorce, couples can set their own pace as to how quickly they can resolve their asset division and other divorce matters. For those who want to divorce amiably, collaborative divorce can take less than five months.
- Collaborative divorce is less expensive. Because a collaborative divorce avoids going to court, it is less expensive. Each spouse’s attorney works with them and the other parties to find a fair divorce settlement, custody agreement and child support level. When couples end up battling each other in court, their legal expenses increase, often in the end, leaving fewer assets to split between them.
- Collaborative divorce maintains a couple’s privacy. Court proceedings are public record, so any divorce issues that end up in a courtroom are no longer private. Collaborative law allows couples to keep their asset division and child custody agreements private, so others can’t easily know the final agreement.
- Collaborative divorce allows divorcing parents to improve their communication and problem-solving skills. Because couples work toward an agreed-upon solution in collaborative divorce, they gain experience working with one another and working out parenting issues. This experience will help them as they face several co-parenting decisions in the future.
If you feel you and your spouse are willing to go through a collaborative divorce, contact a family law attorney with experience in collaborative law. An attorney can help you as you begin the process and ensure you reach a fair settlement.