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Chad Layton collaborative divorce attorney west palm beach

Can I Hire A Divorce Lawyer To Help Me Instead Of To Fight For Me

I don’t want to have a lawyer decide my divorce.  I don’t want a lawyer to escalate conflict and make my divorce worse.  I don’t want to damage my relationship with my husband or wife beyond repair. These are all very real and legitimate concerns when you are contemplating a divorce. You know that you…

Chad Layton collaborative divorce attorney west palm beach

How Does The New Florida Alimony Law Affect Collaborative Divorce?

On June 30, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Florida alimony reform bill into law. Here are a few take aways from the new alimony statute: Permanent or “Lifetime Alimony” is eliminated. Adultery by either spouse may now be considered in awarding alimony, and its resulting financial impact on the spouses. The legal standard of “need”…

Chad Layton Collaborative Divorce Attorney

What Are The Rules Of Collaborative Divorce?

The strength of collaborative divorce is that there is only one rule, and that is that the spouses will not resort to a court battle. Instead, each spouse chooses their own collaboratively trained divorce attorney. Each attorney will sign a disqualification clause that provides that they cannot represent either spouse in a contested court action.…

Chad Layton collaborative divorce attorney west palm beach

What Conflict Style Do I Want To Teach My Children?

A presenter at a recent conference I attended asked us, “What Conflict Style Do You Want To Teach Your Children?”[1] That is a powerful question. Do I want to teach my children to escalate conflict, or do I want to teach them to de-escalate conflict? There is no question that divorce is a challenging and…

Chad Layton Collaborative Divorce Attorney

How Do I Avoid Losing Control Of My Divorce?

Don’t go to court to fight if you want to maintain any degree of control in your divorce. Lawyers and judges are the primary actors in a litigated (contested) divorce. You and your husband or wife are the primary actors in a collaborative (uncontested) divorce. The degree of control that you have in the decisions…

Chad Layton collaborative divorce attorney west palm beach

Is Collaborative Divorce a Better Option?

In most cases, the collaborative divorce process is a better option than going to court to resolve your divorce. The collaborative divorce process provides you with options and outcomes that are simply not available in the litigation system. Collaborative divorce is a private resolution process that was founded with the tenets of respect, privacy and…

Chad Layton Collaborative Divorce Attorney

What is an Uncontested Divorce?

Uncontested divorce can mean many different things.  The common thread in all uncontested divorce options is the agreement that you will not fight in court.  Once this basis principle is established, you are on the road to a divorce process that will save you time and money. This decision will also save you and your…

Chad Layton, Esq. Collaborative Divorce Attorney

E-Book: How To Get Divorced Without Fighting In Court.

I am often asked, “What is a mindful divorce? How did you come up with that name for your law practice?” After handling highly contested divorce cases and divorce trials in Palm Beach County for over 10 years, I was introduced to the collaborative divorce process. This was an eye opener for me.  Instead of…

Chad Layton Mindful Divorce

What Happens At The First Team Meeting In a Collaborative Divorce?

This is where the rubber meets the road. This is our first opportunity to sit down together as a team and begin working on the issues, obstacles, and goals that are unique to your family.  This is where we set the table for the process that will help you to obtain a peaceful, private and…

Chad Layton Collaborative Divorce Attorney

Is Every Divorce a “Nasty Divorce”?

Of course not. There are times when a marriage no longer works.  This doesn’t mean that you have lost all respect and love for your spouse. This doesn’t mean that you want to start a legal battle against your spouse. It simply means that your marriage has come to an end. The collaborative divorce process…