What You Should Know When Planning for Collaborative Divorce

Divorce is hard on everyone. It’s not an easy road to travel, and it’s often filled with potholes, detours, twists and turns.

There are so many things to consider and prepare for when considering divorce. Often we see that our clients are at a loss for where to start and what information to gather.

With the collaborative divorce process, while you have to prepare many of the same things you would need for a court-litigated divorce, your mindset will change. In a litigated divorce, it’s all about winning and spouse vs. spouse. A collaborative divorce is much more peaceful, is about coming to the best conclusion for everyone involved and keeping the family unit intact.

Here are a few things we suggest our clients gather together for their first meeting with us:

• Reframe your thoughts to envision a peaceful civil process
• Consider what co-parenting plans you would like to have
• Bring all of your financial documentation – income and expenses
• Create a list of what your financial needs will be
• Be open to learning how to communicate with your spouse, especially co-parenting
• Put together your monthly budget needs
• Be ready to work with your partner to draft a fair agreement
• Be open to discussing child and spouse support
• Be ready to talk about the issues your marriage was having – be willing to work through them

Collaborative Divorce is more about finding a peaceful resolution than tearing each other down, as you see in a traditional court divorce. You and your spouse are supported by family law attorneys, a financial neutral, mental health experts and divorce coaches that are all versed in the divorce process – and most times considerably less expensive than a litigated divorce.

Let our team of experts at Family Divorce Solutions explain further the process of how the collaborative divorce process works and its benefits over traditional divorce court proceedings.

At Family Divorce Solutions, we take great care in helping families going through divorce find ways to work together!

Contact us today to see how we can help you begin the collaborative divorce process to help you and your spouse stay out of court and have a peaceful and respectful divorce.

Note: This information is general in nature and should not be construed as legal/financial/tax/or mental health advice. You should work with your attorney, financial, mental health or tax professional to determine what will work best for your situation.