Divorce court can turn two kind people into enemies. In the effort to have a kinder and gentler divorce, more couples are turning to collaborative divorce. While saving a lot of courtroom drama, a collaborative divorce can also save you time and money.
Collaborative Divorce
During a collaborative divorce your team of four people—lawyers for each spouse, a mental health coach and financial professional – all work to create a workable solution for each couple. All aspects of a marriage are ironed out. This includes child support and visitation, spousal support, and marital property division.
“The rewards of collaborative divorce are huge,” says attorney Joryn Jenkins. “You learn to work out issues and say things in a better way.”
Collaborative divorces are done face to face. Each spouse voices his or her own opinion to reach an emotional, financial, and legal solution.
Hit to the Wallet
Collaborative divorces can also be a little less of a hit to your wallet. When a divorce goes to trial, you can pay $100,000 just to get to the courthouse steps, said Jenkins. Whereas, as she explained, an average collaborative divorce costs about $32,000.
“People are raiding their retirement accounts just to pay for divorces,” said Rackham Karlsson, a collaborative attorney. “Going to court can be more expensive, more time intensive and corrosive for children.”
Shorter Time Period
I addition to costing less, an average collaborative divorce takes three to four months to reach a settlement. Trial cases can drag on for years. Since a judge makes a final decision, there’s little control over the timing, process, and outcome of the case.
Collaborative divorce can be a perfect alternative to a standard divorce. If a couple is able to work through a divorce in this manner they can save time, money, and a lot of headaches.
Source: CNBC, How to avoid a nasty and costly divorce war, February 26, 2015