Why You Should Consider a Collaborative Divorce

 Posted on January 23, 2019 in Divorce

Dissolving a marriage can be a contentious process, especially for couples with acrimonious relationships. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid the long drawn-out process that litigating a divorce can turn out to be. For instance, more and more couples have begun turning to collaborative divorce as a viable option when dissolving a marriage. To find out more about collaborative divorce and whether it is right for you and your family, please contact a member of our high asset divorce legal team for advice.

Confidential Proceedings

Collaborative divorce is an alternative to standard divorce proceedings that involves not only attorneys, but also financial planners and family therapists, all of whom are focused on negotiating a settlement agreement between the parties that serve the best interests of both spouses. In addition to giving the parties more of a say in creating their own settlement agreements, collaborative divorce also allows couples with significant assets to divide their property as they see fit in a confidential setting. Most divorces that are litigated in court are a matter of public record, which can create difficulties for business owners and others with significant financial assets or holdings in their communities. Collaborative divorce gives the parties the option of keeping all of this information private and confidential.

Assistance from Professionals

Collaborative divorces can also help avoids the creation of an adversarial setting, but instead, require the parties to focus on each other’s interests and goals. This process is helped along by the input of mental health professionals who can help the parties better communicate with each other. For instance, when a couple has children, therapists play a key role in coming up with a detailed parenting plan, but also in teaching co-parenting skills.

Collaborative divorce proceedings also involve the assistance of financial planners who provide a neutral voice in discussions about the fate of a couple’s finances. The latter can play a critical role in ensuring that unique or diverse assets, such as artwork, antiques, and jewelry are properly valued and either sold or equally divided between the parties. These individuals can also help identify assets as either marital or separate in nature, which can have extremely important implications when it comes to the property division process, as only assets obtained after marriage are considered community property and so must be divided equitably upon divorce.

Assets obtained prior to marriage and that were not commingled during the course of the union, on the other hand, are treated as separate property, which means that they should remain in the possession of the original owner. Financial planners involved in a collaborative divorce can ensure that these types of assets are not mislabeled and improperly divided as a result.

Contact a Round Rock High Asset Divorce Lawyer

To consult with an experienced Round Rock high asset divorce attorney about the advantages of collaborative divorce, please call Powers Kerr & Rashidi, PLLC at 512-610-6199 today.

Source:

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/teresa-mcusic/article62703482.html#storylink=cpy