If your marriage has fallen apart and you have decided that you have no choice but to file for divorce, it’s important that you start preparing yourself mentally and financially for this life transition.
When people are at the brink of divorce, often their emotions have reached a boiling point, and they may not be thinking as clearly as usual. Even when the divorce is for the best, sometimes a spouse’s ability to make sound financial decisions are clouded by strong emotions.
As divorce attorneys, we know that it can be hard for people to make rational decisions when they’re going through perhaps the most stressful experience of their lives, but they need to do their best to make that happen.
Most couples have the option: They can have an adversarial, contested divorce or they can decide to set aside their differences and have a collaborative, non-contested divorce. No one wants a divorce like Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger’s, which dragged out for six years.
Why Collaboration is Better
While a couple may feel that a bitter divorce is their only recourse, they should seriously consider collaborating in a non-adversarial setting to reach a settlement that both are satisfied with.
No matter what went wrong in a couple’s marriage, or why it ended, a divorce is more productive when the parties have sensible heads and agree that it’s best for them to not punish each other, but instead to preserve as much of the marital assets as possible.
With this mindset, the spouses are open to more rational approaches, such as a collaborative divorce vs. a contested one. With a collaborative divorce, the parties benefit because:
- The spouses agree on procedures that will expedite the divorce and minimize costs.
- The spouses reach a settlement that is satisfactory to both parties.
- The couple creates a process for handling post-divorce issues.
With a collaborative divorce, you and your spouse negotiate back and forth until you reach an acceptable divorce settlement; this process is accomplished through the guidance and support of professionals, such as your attorneys, accountants and financial advisors.
With all of the stress of divorce during this transitional period, the best way to begin your new life is to have a collaborative divorce, so you can begin the next chapter with more money in your pocket.
Contact a Los Angeles divorce lawyer at Claery & Hammond, LLPtoday.