Couples going through a divorce in 2020 faced unique challenges. Courts may have been closed, at least for a while, and those that have re-opened may be facing a backlog of cases. As an alternative, hearings were made remotely and for some couples in the Manchester area, this meant finding unique solutions for their divorce. For some, this meant pursuing a collaborative divorce.
What is a collaborative divorce?
A collaborative divorce is a means of settling your divorce legal issues out of court. In a collaborative divorce each spouse works with their own attorney and both spouses and attorneys agree in writing to settle their divorce legal issues out of court. Other experts, such as financial advisors and therapists may be involved in a collaborative divorce.
What gives a collaborative divorce its teeth is the fact that if the divorce cannot be settled out-of-court and the parties must turn to a judge to make decisions on their divorce legal issues, the attorneys must bow out of the case and the parties must retain new attorneys. This gives everyone an incentive to make the collaborative divorce process work.
The benefits of collaborative divorce
In addition to the safety benefits of not having to physically go to court, there are other benefits to seeking a collaborative divorce in 2020. First, collaborative divorce sets the stage for constructive communication post-divorce. This is especially important if you and your spouse have a child and plan on co-parenting. Second, couples going through a collaborative divorce may be more satisfied with the outcome of their dissolution since they had more of a say in it.
In the end, this post does not contain legal advice, so those in Manchester who are interested in a collaborative divorce will want to seek the advice of an attorney who practices in this area of law.
