What is collaborative divorce?

While many people believe that divorce is one of the most acrimonious legal battles a person could go through, this is not always the case. There are certain divorces that almost write themselves, and some that are more-or-less amicable and just need a little bit of extra finagling to get to the finish line. In fact, these divorces often end up being far less expensive than the acrimonious, stressful, trial divorces. One of these alternative divorce methods is known as “collaborative divorce.” According to Forbes Magazine, collaborative divorce is when splitting couples decide to skip the courtroom and instead negotiate on their preferred divorce with the help of lawyers.

Aside from cost (if you need lawyers and judges to hammer out every step of the divorce, that is naturally going to cost more money), one of the biggest benefits of a collaborative divorce is the amount of freedom that goes into it. Instead of having a judge decide on what is best for you, your assets, and your family life moving forward, you instead have a direct say. Collaborative divorce is not a panacea: both you and your ex-spouse do, indeed, need to collaborate for it to work. In this form of divorce, each party has their own representative lawyer, and the divorcing couple along with their lawyers meet up to talk about the particulars of the divorce.

This is a great path for couples who more or less agree on the most pertinent parts of the divorce process, but need a little bit of legal help to get over certain barriers. Collaborative divorce often ends up saving a lot of time, money, and stress as compared to trial divorce.