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Evaluating Your Divorce
Divorce can be a painful and expensive process. Aside from the emotional aspects, the legal process of dissolving a marriage has been based upon the adversarial system. In this typical scenario, both spouses hire an attorney to fight for the “best deal” they can get. This fighting takes its toll on the financial resources of the combatants, and can be difficult not only for the spouses, but also for the children in the marriage.
The Adversarial System
The attorneys in an adversarial divorce are ethically bound to zealously represent their clients as adversaries. It is like an expensive tug-of-war, and the attorneys are duty bound to participate, and in this process often escalate the tension, expense, and pain.
An Alternative
We offer you and your spouse an alternative. Instead of adversarial attorneys in control, you maintain control by utilizing a mediator to coordinate the dissolution. The mediator provides  general information, helps both sides negotiate with each other, and provides the forms that the court requires to start the divorce process. Then, each spouse retains, either from our list, or independently, an attorney specially trained in “collaborative law.” These attorney’s sole job is to represent you, but instead of being motivated by the “tug of war” they are motivated to assist you reach agreement with each other. Once agreement is reached, the papers are filed, and your divorce is completed, usually without a court appearance or further expense.
The Costs
Our fees are provided to you at the beginning of the case. You will know exactly what you are buying for your money. There are no large retainers, and so long as both sides remain engaged in the collaborative process, the expenses will remain within the initial budget. We can also provide you with referrals to therapists, accountants, annuity experts, and other professionals as needed to streamline the divorce.
Evaluation
But our alternative is not for everyone. In order to reap the benefits of what we offer, you must be qualified. Therefore, please respond to each of these questions in order for us to evaluate whether we can work with you in your divorce, and for us to estimate the cost of guiding you through the process to obtain dissolution of your marriage as efficiently as possible.
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