Divorce and divorce attorneys are both well known for causing harm to families. For the first ten years of my legal career, I was part of the problem. I was trained only in divorce litigation.
I had a front row seat to the emotional and financial devastation that can occur when litigation attorneys and families drag a divorce through the court system. When minor children are involved, the harm is even greater.
I didn’t put the necessary work and training in to be able to offer good alternatives to court. I simply put my head down and fought using the only process that I was trained in, court litigation. The husbands, wives, and parents that trusted me to help them through their divorce were left to pick up the pieces after the divorce litigation was complete.
The legal fight was over. The truth is that after the legal battle is over, the lawyers and judges move on to the next divorce case.
You and your family are left to pick up the pieces. This is not the best way to handle your divorce.
Important Questions Are Ignored:
- How do we move forward to the next chapter in our life?
- How do we undo or get past the attacks and harm that we waged against our former spouse during the court process?
- If we have a child, how do we co-parent after divorce?
- How do we celebrate birthdays, graduations, weddings, or grandchildren after the divorce?
I learned the hard way that divorce litigation is not designed to answer any of these questions. There is no court procedure to explain the next steps to you and your family after divorce.
Better Solutions Are Available:
During the past five years, I have worked to become a collaboratively trained divorce attorney, and a family law mediator. I now work hard to help husbands, wives and parents understand all out of court divorce options before resorting to court litigation.
I ask questions at the start of the divorce process about what life will look like after the divorce is over for the family. How can we create a plan now to minimize emotional and financial damage to the family? What are the most important goals for each spouse? Where do these goals overlap, and where do they diverge?
I work regularly with a team of professionals that are collaboratively trained to help families privately settle their divorce. We apply the law to unravel the many legal, financial and family issues in the divorce. We prepare all documents required to have a judge ratify our private settlement. More importantly, we don’t add fuel to the fire. We don’t encourage families to fight in court. We provide all of the resources necessary for the family to resolve their private conflict in a peaceful and respectful manner. Your family should be the decision makers in your divorce, not lawyers or judges.
The professional team I work with often includes a mental health professional, a financial professional and a child specialist. We create reasonable expectations and custom settlement options that provide you and your entire family with fairness, closure, and a bridge to the next chapter in your life.
If you, or a friend of yours, have questions about out of court divorce options, that include collaborative divorce in Palm Beach County, we are here to help.
Helpful Resources:
Mindful Divorce Services – Fixed Fees
