Collaborative Divorce Tips

Divorces are notorious for being challenging in dealing with, for each of the spouses and their families. The spouses need to make important decisions about proceeding with the divorce, and whom to get assistance from. These choices are critical, as they are going to impact their plans for the future.

As reported by government sources, over 800,000 married couples divorce every year in the US. A lot of divorces have been known to be costly, as the couples are required to budget finances to hire divorce attorneys and counselors, and mediators. They could end up facing financial difficulties by the time the proceedings conclude.

Recently, a multitude of alternative conflict resolving approaches have been considered by couples to stay away from family court. Divorce mediation, collaborative divorces, and settlement or private judging are some ways to end a marriage.

A lot of individuals are uncertain about the notion of collaborative divorce, in which is a organized and cooperative out-of-court method in resolving legal conflicts related to divorces. This process may make it easier for the spouses to conclude their divorce, and resolve issues associated to spousal or child support and property challenges devoid of a court hearing.

When you are thinking about filing for collaborative divorce or have begun the process, here are some tips that could help you throughout the procedure:

1. Table of Contents

   Toggle

   Be Straightforward about Deciding on Collaboration Divorce Rather Than Mediation

A continual misunderstanding among individuals is that collaborative divorce is just another way of saying mediation. You need be informed that mediation and collaboration may be comparable processes, as both aid you in keeping your divorce out of court, but the distinction is in how they operate.

Speak with your divorce attorney to get a concise comprehension of these processes. They will inform you that when you choose mediation, you are going to need to choose a 3rd party, a mediator, that will help the spouses through negotiations to come to a collectively agreeable agreement.

Collaborative divorces, at the same time, don’t have a mediator’s involvement – there is no mediation. The spouses, along with each of their divorce attorneys and financial specialists, meet to talk about the splitting of property and financial support, and they’re the only ones that are in the end, responsible for deciding on a settlement figure (alimony).

2. Be Truthful with the Collaborative Team

Guaranteeing an honest division and settlement in a divorce is essential for the spouses and their children (if any). When you are choosing collaborative divorce, you need be entirely truthful with the collaborative team to deal with the issues efficiently.

When each of the spouses disclose specifics about their income, assets, any debts, and belongings, then the general divorce experience may be managed with openness and more ease, as there is going to be less scope for fiery arguments, like in litigation. There is not other option than to trust one another, because neither party is going to be granted with the authority of the court to pressure the other party to disclose financial records.

A collaborative divorce works on the standards of shared comprehension and the agreement that it’s time for the spouses to go their separate ways in a peaceable way. Not being honest is just going to make the process longer, more costly, and draining.

3. Make Choices That Are Just to Both Spouses

Whereas filing for divorce, there is no ‘winning’ a divorce. The collaborative divorce method may assist you in avoiding lengthy and costly litigation sessions. So, it is going to be easier if you don’t spin your divorce into a contest and try and ‘win’ negotiations.

Meet with your spouse and their attorney having the mindset that you have the desire to resolve disputes associated to your marriage, and not to acquire the ownership rights of everything. Be willing to listen to your spouse’s expectations having an open mind and examine just ways that are agreeable to each of your demands. Many times, you might even have to compromise on certain elements to come to an agreement.

4. Plan a Timeline for the Divorce

Collaborative divorce processes may be challenging at times, because you are going to need to spend significant time discussing issues that are important to both of you.

Attempt to make things easier and discuss the issues that are genuinely important to both of you. Adhering to the meeting’s timetable and keeping a checklist may help you with this.

Discuss your priorities list with your divorce attorney prior to entering the negotiations with your spouse and their attorney. You’ll need to concisely detail the things you are not going to step away from, and the things you are willing to let go. Having transparency on financial and personal issues can make the discussion sessions less timely and streamlined for both of you.

When there are children involved, be sure to keep your parental access decisions separate from your financial decisions. Please don’t use either of these elements to impact your position on the other.

Recklessness could incite you into using your child custody and/or your visitation rights in place of possession of property and assets, instead of thinking if it is in the best interest of the child.

Divorce cases count absolutely on properties, assets, debts, holdings, and mortgages. For a fair splitting of these aspects, records play a primary role in the collaborative divorce approach. The reasoning is there is no court involvement to summon the official documentation.

Your financial account and phone records, and possibly car notes can be pertinent to your divorce. Collect all documents that you believe you will require for your case prior to you filing for divorce. In the case you have joint ownership of your home, vehicle, and investment portfolio, it’s a good idea to make copies of your documents prior to meeting with your attorney.

It is a general practice with divorce attorneys in Arizona and other areas to inquire about your personal financial records and specifics of your joint online accounts, also. Doing this not only aids in determining the alimony amount, but additionally makes it easier to determine the worth of properties and assets jointly owned by each spouse.

You need to be on your best behavior and need to attempt to work in harmony with your partner during the divorce process when each of you have agreed to a settlement out-of-court method. It is usually challenging for spouses to manage divorce without professional engagement, as they might become too emotional about the issues involved. This is in which the collaborative divorce process comes into play, since negotiations in the presence of attorneys and financial specialists could mitigate possible differences in opinion making it possible for spouses to go their separate way peacefully.

Source:

1. Ahlquist, A. (2016, September 29). Five important tips on Collaborative divorce that you should know. Retrieved March 17, 2021, from https://www.thelaw.com/law/five-important-tips-on-collaborative-divorce-that-you-should-know.533/

Choose the Right Divorce Lawyer in Arizona

Regardless of the choice you make, it’s important you make the best choice for you when hiring a divorce attorney. Remember: The decisions you make now can affect your future. Ultimately, choosing the best lawyer will depend on which lawyer feels best for you and your situation.

If you want to learn about Michelle N. Ogborne and see if she is the right attorney to represent you in your collaborative divorce in Arizona, contact us today!