Taking Litigation out of Divorce

Many families facing divorce don’t realize just how long the process might take, but with overburdened courts, mandatory waiting periods and conflicting family schedules, the process can drag on for the better part of a year or longer. For those families who want to minimize the stress that a yearlong divorce process might create, there are a number of alternatives for you to explore.

Mediation and collaborative divorce are among the more popular alternatives to a traditional divorce, and both are gaining traction as cost-effective, efficient means of achieving your desired result. At the outset, these approaches require that you and your family agree on using an alternative to the traditional model. You don’t have to agree on everything, but it’s necessary that both parties understand and buy into a different process. Both of these methods have a track record of helping families find long term, mutually satisfying agreements where stress is minimized and kids come first.

If you have questions about whether your family might be able to use an alternative to litigation, ask your attorney to explain the differences between the various methods, and talk to your family about the process.

You can learn more about collaborative divorce here, and more about mediation here.

And here’s a story about how collaborative family law is helping families in other areas of the country.