Your first task in dealing with your divorce or post-decree dispute is to decide how much professional help you need.
If your divorce is simple - no children, few assets and debts - you may choose to do the paperwork and the entire process yourself. However, if your divorce is more complicated, or if all those court forms make you uncomfortable, you may want assistance. We can help you complete the necessary paperwork and you can take it to court to be filed.
If your divorce is more complicated, or if there are issues about which you and your spouse disagree, mediation is often an ideal solution. Mediation focuses on seeking the simplest and least costly resolution to your divorce, while providing a team of professionals to address both your legal and personal needs. It takes into consideration that you and your spouse, particularly if you have children, choose to keep this process as "friendly" as possible.
A litigated divorce typically costs thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars. Much of this cost results from the fact the parties are often discouraged from direct communication and negotiation, leaving all communication up to their lawyers. The Center can refer you to attorneys who can give you appropriate legal advice or representation when necessary. Often attorneys engage the Center to work with their clients in developing mutually satisfactory separation agreements or parenting plans to avoid the conflict and high cost of litigation.
It is not always necessary that parties be in direct contact to resolve a divorce or non-divorce family issue. By using a combination of conference calls, faxes and emails, directed through a mediator, it is often possible to resolve a dispute without court intervention, even over great distances.
For more information on services the Center can provide you in your divorce, call us for a free, no obligation, telephone consultation.