Sunday, November 30, 2008

Collaborative Divorce Can Save You Money

By Mike Mastracci

You're probably not looking forward to all the spending that comes along with the holiday season. It's expensive out there, isn't it? Saving money seems to be on everyone's mind these days, doesn't it? Divorce is expenses and protracted litigation can increase costs exponentially, leaving you and your spouse with staggering legal bills to contend with as you each struggle to begin a new phase of life.

While collaborative divorce is not necessarily cheap, it does allow you to exert better control over your divorce costs. The exact costs will largely depend on the complexity of the issues and the number of meetings required to resolve them. By choosing collaborative divorce, you and your spouse make a commitment to spending your resources on your family and not on a contentious legal battle. You make a conscious decision to place the needs and support of your children above expensive and often needless battling with your spouse.

There is a smart alternative for those who don't want an expensive litigious divorce that drags through the courts, as well as for those who know better than to try and handle their own important legal affairs. Collaborative divorce allows couples to settle out of court, but with the benefit and assistance of an attorney trained in collaborative law. Collaborative divorce encourages mature, cooperative, non-combative behavior with the goal of arriving at a mutually agreeable settlement.

For many, collaborative divorce allows both parties to dissolve their marriage while maintaining respect for each other and establishing positive ongoing communication. Where children are involved, collaborative divorce allows them to benefit from the continued emotional and financial support of both parents. Protecting our children from adult conflicts is something that you can't put a price on.

Collaboratively trained professionals are not only concerned about the outcome, but the process. If you have children together, you and your spouse will still have to deal with each other for many years after the divorce is final. Learning how to co-parent is an important step in learning how to act in your children's best interests.

How much you spend on a collaborative case, much like any other domestic cases, will largely depend on the degree that the parties truly cooperate to reach acceptable resolutions of their respective issues and concerns. Fighting and bickering is expensive. It is much cheaper to"play nice. - 16759

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