Many spouses fear the rigors of a divorce. There is just so much to invest in. And by that, we don’t mean the cost only. There is also the potential rancor of litigation. If you want to resolve the issue of divorce amicably, you should probably give collaborative divorce a try.
You can work with your spouse and lawyer towards a mutually beneficial solution. The benefits of collaborative divorces are many, one of them being entirely private. Yes, unlike litigated divorces which find their way into the public records, a collaborative divorce can be a closed-room affair. Here are some ways to make the collaborative effort successful.
Responsibilities and Rights
Discuss all your responsibilities and rights about your divorce with your attorney. Before entering the negotiation room, you should know all about property division, child support, child custody, spousal support, and other work issues. This gives you an idea of how to go about a fair settlement before making any final decisions.
Preparing Yourself Emotionally
It is certainly not the time to let your emotions rule when you negotiate. Instead, you can think about some of the logical points you may need to mull over.
This can help you make better decisions that will help you decide on your future. This becomes a place where you can combine civility and respect.
Nothing reaches the final stages in collaborative divorce before you agree. You and your spouse can determine an outcome catering to your unique family. You can embrace the freedom that the entire process offers, come up with a thoughtful plan and go ahead with the divorce.
Dig Into the Facts
Do your homework before the divorce negotiation begins. This gives you the time to understand more about the situation. For example, you can learn about the assets and debts you have to divide before the negotiation journey begins. The more information you have with you for better negotiation, the better it is for you.
Ultimately, you have to find out what settlements you have that are worth standing firm on and the ones you can let go of. Your attorney can help you determine what options you have with you to work toward a settlement that is greatly beneficial for you.
A Peaceful Alternative
The purpose of collaborative divorce is to offer a peaceful alternative to the adversarial litigating approach. It is certainly collaborative in a more cooperative way. The spouses are working towards being more proactively involved in making parental and financial decisions beneficial for children and themselves.
Ultimately, the couple has a better situation to thrive in and provides the children’s best interest. It lays a foundation for co-operating parents and makes the situation more collaborative.
Put Together a Collaborative Team
Putting together a proper collaborative team is the first step for the couple to start. All team members must be trained to keep up with the collaborative divorce method. In this situation, each attorney chooses a divorce coach with whom they get to meet individually, find a mutual financial specialist, and one child specialist. The team has as many as six specialists.
The attorneys are all there to provide legal information. Whereas the divorce coaches, who are also licensed mental health professionals, guide the spouses through the vulnerable process. Also, the coach can help in separating feelings from behaviors and gives participants different tools to make their way through the various negotiation process. A parenting plan is devised with the help of the coach’s assistance.
Child Specialists
The child specialist meets the children to find out the difficulties they may meet up because of their parent’s impending divorce. The child specialists may also improve upon the custody arrangements.
The financial specialists go through the couples’ finances, the cash flow, and assets and make a projection and figure out how the division of assets is carried out. The couple then has to fix a meeting with the whole team several times to understand the proper situation and find out how to resolve every problem that can come their way.
Conclusion
Collaborative divorces are in vogue because it resolves issues amicably, and there is no acrimonious outcome of divorces. This helps the couple and the other people involved in the divorce, especially the children.