Services

“Taking a thing apart is always faster than putting something together.  This is true in everything except marriage.”

Joe Hill, 20th Century Ghosts

When a couple marries they believe it is forever. Their wedding vows commonly include the words “to death do us part.” The stark reality, however, is that more than half of the marriages end in divorce. Studies have shown that a divorce is one of the biggest stressors in life.

Couples have choices in how they want to handle their divorce. They can:

  • File pro se, where they do not retain legal counsel but represent themselves in court. They may be able to reach an agreement between themselves and work thru the process of getting the agreement filed in court.
  • They can each hire an attorney to prepare the filings and obtain documents from the other Party.

    a. Each party’s attorney can work with the other attorney and negotiate a settlement, or
    b. once discovery is completed, they may agree to hire a mediator to help resolve the final agreement, or
    c. if all attempts at resolutions are aborted, the attorneys can litigate the case in a courtroom and the
           Judge (or jury) will decide the outcome.

  • The Parties can hire a mediator to work out an agreement between themselves. The mediator can assist the parties in identifying the issues and suggest effective solutions. The mediator will generally suggest that the parties obtain an independent legal review of the final agreement.

  • File pro se, where they do not retain legal counsel but represent themselves in court. They may be able to reach an agreement between themselves and work thru the process of getting the agreement filed in court.

  • They can each hire an attorney to prepare the filings and obtain documents from the other Party.

    a. Each party’s attorney can work with the other attorney and negotiate a settlement, or
    b. once discovery is completed, they may agree to hire a mediator to help resolve the final agreement, or
    c. if all attempts at resolutions are aborted, the attorneys can litigate the case in a courtroom and the Judge (or jury) will decide the outcome.

  • The Parties can hire a mediator to work out an agreement between themselves. The mediator can assist the parties in identifying the issues and suggest effective solutions. The mediator will generally suggest that the parties obtain an independent legal review of the final agreement.

Regardless of the option you choose to handle your divorce, it is important to remember that by keeping the decision out of the courtroom, you can help architect your deal and what is important to you. Additionally, if there are children from the marriage, it will be easier to deal with future events related to the children such as weddings, graduations and birthdays if your case was settled more amicably.  While court is sometimes a couple’s only option, it is a difficult and expensive process.