Collaborative divorce is a relatively new movement in divorce law. Divorces are characterized as painful, difficult, demeaning, and emotionally and financially draining. For spouses who are able and willing to communicate, a collaborative divorce can be a time-saving and cost-effective option. Collaborative divorce also has many benefits for children and spares them the trauma of being involved in bitter custody and visitation battles.
A collaborative divorce eliminates the need for public trial and the painful divorce litigation process, as long as both parties involved in the divorce can agree on the necessary aspects of property division, alimony, and child custody. Eliminating the litigation process has many other benefits. It saves time and therefore also lowers legal costs, and spares the involved parties the embarrassment that many occur were they forced to share personal marital details with a judge or jury. According to the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas, litigated divorces can take 17 months to be resolved; collaborative divorces can take as little as 17 weeks.
Most clients just want to have their divorce finalized as quickly and painlessly as possible in a dignified manner. This can sometimes result in clients settling for the terms of their spouse and not asking for what they are entitled to or what they want in their property or child custody settlement. Collaborative divorce, with the assistance of attorneys, provides the opportunity to amicably resolve all issues in order to benefit both parties without the need for litigation.
Working Together
You, your spouse, and your attorneys can work together to come to an agreed settlement that both parties are happy with. Collaborating on a divorce case limits the need for court interference and greatly speeds up the process while protecting your privacy. Your collaborative law agreement is known as a “participation agreement,” and your appointed divorce attorneys will ensure that all appropriate information is included and agreed upon by you and your spouse.
If you are interested in a collaborative divorce contact a Dallas divorce attorney at the Duke Firm at 888-314-5720 for a free legal consultation today. You can also fill out our web form for a prompt response.
