The First Steps You Should Take Oftentimes, when clients come to my office seeking a divorce, they have already committed to the idea that they and their partners are going to be splitting up. They already flew through days filled with fights and tears, rode the waves of resentment and traveled down the marriage counseling pathway. At the end of their journey, the two parties acknowledge that this marriage has now come to an end. Many of my clients are very upfront about … [Read more...]
Is Collaborative Divorce Right for You?
If you are facing a divorce, or thinking about filing for divorce, you may have discovered that there are several different paths you can follow in a divorce. The traditional path is litigation and just about any attorney can help you with that. Some people are choosing to do it themselves, without an attorney. That can work in very simple cases. Others focus on mediation, which is a good process, but attorneys should be involved. It is most often used in litigated cases. The newest process is … [Read more...]
Can You Hear Me NOW?
Divorce Coaching Can Vastly Improve Communication Can you imagine walking into court for a final hearing for your divorce case thinking you might be led away in handcuffs if you lose? That has to be a scary thought. And an outrageous one. People are almost never taken away in handcuffs at the end of divorce case. As a young lawyer, I once had a divorce case client with whom I had difficulty communicating. Because of my lack of experience, I did not recognize the highly emotional nature of … [Read more...]
Understanding Divorce Options
If you’ve come to the decision to divorce, you come to another important decision – how will you accomplish your goal? There are several roads leading to the termination of your marriage, and the one you choose can have a significant impact on your future and that of your family. Following are options to consider: Collaborative Law In the Collaborative Law model, husband and wife and their lawyers agree in advance that no one will take any contested issue to court. The “Collaborative Team,” … [Read more...]
5 Good Reasons NOT to Choose a Collaborative Divorce
1. You want more enemies It is true that there is no guarantee that going through the litigation process will result in your spouse being your eternal enemy and no guarantee that going through the collaborative process will result in your spouse being respectful of you forever. But, reality is that no one likes to answer detailed, accusatory questions about themselves, and those types of things can and do happen routinely in the litigation process. Both detailed written discovery and … [Read more...]
The Best Way to Divorce in Texas
What’s the best way to divorce in Texas? You have two options: a collaborative divorce or litigation. A litigated divorce offers only three benefits, including forced discovery, a restraining order against family violence and a court ordered settlement. The collaborative process offers many benefits, including privacy, lower cost, transparency, client control, convenience, preserving family relationships, protecting children, allowing creative settlement solutions and minimizing post-divorce … [Read more...]
What Happens in Collaborative vs. Litigated Divorces?
There are major differences between a collaborative and litigated divorce. In a collaborative divorce, you control the outcome, your goals and interests are important, all information is shared openly, you negotiate a win-win settlement, avoid harm to your children and save money. In a litigated divorce, the attorneys control the case, your goals and interests are secondary, information is hidden, each side attempts to win, the children are often placed in the middle and litigation costs … [Read more...]
Can I Date During My Divorce?
The question “Can I date during my divorce?” comes up all the time in my practice. I tell my clients it’s not a good idea to date until the divorce is final – there are too many complications. In spite of my advice, clients do date during their divorce. Usually it’s because they’re lonely or want to feel better about themselves. After all, what could go wrong on a simple date? Lots of bad things if you date while your divorce is pending. There are strategic, legal and emotional reasons not to … [Read more...]
