Collaborative Divorce

What Does It Mean to Maintain the Status Quo? One of the first financial questions you may have during a divorce is who will pay the mortgage, utilities, car payments, insurance, credit cards, and other monthly expenses. Generally, you want to maintain the financial status quo, which means keeping bills paid much the same way they were before the divorce.

For example, if you have historically made a car payment, you should not assume you can stop paying simply because the car or loan is in your spouse’s name. Similarly, moving out of the family home does not automatically mean you may stop contributing to the mortgage or other expenses associated with the house. Before changing who pays a bill or stopping a regular payment,…

You Do Not Have to Settle Everything at Once Divorce does not have to be an all or nothing process. If you and your spouse agree about certain issues, you can resolve those matters and ask the judge to decide only what is still disputed. You might settle nearly everything and have one issue left for a hearing.

Depending on the issue, that hearing could take only a short amount of time instead of requiring one or more days in court. What Issues Might You Settle Separately? There are many ways to reach a partial settlement. You might agree on your parenting plan but disagree about child support.

In another case, spouses might resolve parenting and support while leaving property division or maintenance for the…

Moving quickly through a divorce may seem appealing, but making major decisions without fully understanding the long-term consequences could cost you financially, affect the time you spend with your children, and create problems that do not become apparent until years later.

Why People Want to Finish a Divorce Quickly When you are ready to move on with your life, it is natural to want the divorce process behind you. You may be emotionally exhausted, eager to end the conflict, and ready to focus on a new chapter in your life.

While those feelings are understandable, making decisions based solely on speeding up the divorce process can lead to outcomes you will later regret. Your divorce agreement will affect your finances, property, parenting arrangements, and future,…

If you and your spouse are constantly arguing, a high-conflict divorce does not automatically mean you have to go to court. Mediation and Collaborative Divorce can help you resolve issues, exchange information, and reach workable solutions while avoiding the time, expense, and stress that fighting it out in court frequently creates.

High-Conflict Does Not Mean Court Is Your Only Option Many people assume that when there is significant conflict in a divorce, litigation is the only path forward. Many high-conflict divorces are successfully resolved through no court options such as Mediation or Collaborative Divorce.

The key factor is not whether you and your spouse like each other. The key factor is whether you are both willing to participate in the divorce process, provide the required…