South Bend Collaborative Divorce Lawyer Encourages Cooperation
Our Indiana family law attorney helps you avoid litigation
A growing trend in family law, collaborative divorce allows couples to work through a non-confrontational, non-adversarial process to reach the best result for themselves and their children. My goal is to help Indiana clients achieve lasting and amicable settlements through the collaborative process. I am ready to help you dissolve your marriage in a manner that will save time, stress and expense.
A cooperative process
In collaborative divorce, each spouse hires an attorney and the four work together to reach the best arrangement for the future. They address all the same concerns as those discussed during a traditional divorce, including:
- Child custody and visitation rights
- Child support
- Asset distribution
- Marital debt division
- Sale or possession of the marital home
- Spousal support and temporary support
However, rather than resolving conflicts out in court, the couple and their attorneys privately work in a manner that reduces stress and anxiety and moves quickly toward resolution.
The potential benefits of collaborative divorce
The advantages of collaborative divorce are many:
- Additional privacy – Since the agreement is worked out in private rather than in court, personal information is held in confidence and there is much less of a public record.
- Time savings – The collaborative process goes much more quickly than one that involves scheduled court appearances and formal discovery.
- Cost savings – Attorney fees are lower because of the reduced time factor.
- Less emotional turmoil – The act of dealing with your former spouse in a cooperative manner means that you do not face as much stress.
If the collaborative process doesn’t work for you, you can easily transition to a traditional divorce. You and your spouse will hire new attorneys, so none of the private matters discussed in the collaborative meetings can be used in the adversarial process.
The cooperative process is not suitable for all couples
For collaborative divorce to succeed, an atmosphere of trust must exist. This is not possible in marriages where there has been domestic violence or emotional abuse. Such divorces are better suited to the adversarial process of the court.
Contact a reliable Indiana collaborative divorce attorney
If you believe the collaborative divorce process could work for you, call my office at 574-314-9126 or contact us online to schedule a consultation. I’ll give you all the information you need to move forward to a more hopeful future.
