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Law Office of Lori Watson
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Circumventing The Court: The Advantages Of Collaborative Divorce

There are times when going through the court system for your divorce just does not seem like the right approach. Some couples may agree to divorce but want to cooperate to make decisions that will affect them and their children after the divorce. This approach to divorce is called collaborative divorce.

At the Law Office of Lori Watson, we offer collaborative divorce and mediation as an alternative to a more traditional divorce. Benefits of this approach can include:

  • Saving money by avoiding court costs and costly litigation
  • Having more control over the divorce process
  • Being able to communicate satisfactorily with your ex-spouse once the divorce is over
  • Greater privacy

What Is Collaborative Divorce?

In a collaborative divorce, both divorcing partners hire an attorney. Each partner and each of their attorneys agree to participate in meetings together to resolve the issues that may apply in their particular situation, including:

  • Child support
  • Child custody and visitation
  • Property and liability division
  • Alimony (spousal support)

The outcomes of these meetings are legally binding. Ms. Watson has special training as a mediator and a collaborative divorce lawyer, and she can help guide you through this process.

Why Should I Consider Collaborative Divorce?

Like many traditional divorces, in a collaborative divorce both parties seeking divorce are represented by their own attorney. However, rather than battling in court over property, support payments or child custody issues, the object of collaborative process is to mutually arrive at an agreement. If no agreement can be reached, then either party can terminate the collaborative process and proceed with a divorce in which the court may decide all contested issues. Both parties must retain new attorneys to represent them in the contested part of their divorce.

When you have children and you are looking at spending the next decade or more co-parenting with your former spouse, it is often easier and less costly to enter the collaborative divorce process where you both have the ability to control your interests, come to mutually agreeable solutions, rather than having a judge impose an order that neither party had a hand in creating.

Contact Us Today

For experienced, understanding and resourceful legal representation in a collaborative divorce, mediated divorce or more traditional divorce, please call to schedule a first meeting at your convenience. Call at 737-359-3024 or send our family law office an email today.

 

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