If you and your spouse live in Washington and realized your marriage isn’t working, divorce may be your only option. You can avoid a long, tedious time in court if you decide to use collaborative divorce to settle things. You should understand what this is and how the process works.
What is collaborative divorce?
Collaborative divorce is one of the best litigation alternatives when you and your spouse conclude that you want to split. It stands in contrast to going to court and having a long battle with your attorneys in tow. Collaborative divorce aims to help you and your spouse come to a conclusion together that works as a fair agreement for how your property is divided and matters pertaining to your children.
How does collaborative divorce work?
The collaborative divorce process involves negotiation between you and your spouse while you each retain attorneys trained in the collaborative area. You each meet with your own attorneys separately and then meet together thereafter. You can have other professionals meet with you as well depending on the area that needs attention. For example, if you and your spouse are finding it challenging to decide how to share custody of your kids, a child custody specialist can be brought in.
Collaborative divorce is also one of the best litigation alternatives to going to court. This is why you and your spouse, along with your lawyers, sign an agreement requiring your attorneys to exit the case if you can’t reach a settlement and you have to go to court.
What are the benefits of collaborative divorce?
There are notable benefits of collaborative divorce. They include the following:
• It can help your situation with your spouse become more stable as you sign a temporary agreement.
• It allows you and your spouse to share all the important information regarding your divorce.
• You can agree on the details and an option that allows you to make things easier and cheaper for both of you.
• You can come to an agreement on how all issues will go after your divorce.
Collaboration can be used from the beginning of your divorce to make things easier. It can also be used later for part of your divorce, but either way, it can make things a lot smoother for you, your spouse, and your children.
