Sunday, November 30, 2008

Divorce and SAVE money?

By Mike Mastracci

You're probably not looking forward to all the spending that comes along with the holiday season. It's expensive out there, isn't it? Saving money seems to be on everyone's mind these days, doesn't it? Divorce is expenses and protracted litigation can increase costs exponentially, leaving you and your spouse with staggering legal bills to contend with as you each struggle to begin a new phase of life.

While collaborative divorce is not necessarily cheap, it does allow you to exert better control over your divorce costs. The exact costs will largely depend on the complexity of the issues and the number of meetings required to resolve them. By choosing collaborative divorce, you and your spouse make a commitment to spending your resources on your family and not on a contentious legal battle. You make a conscious decision to place the needs and support of your children above expensive and often needless battling with your spouse.

Most divorces are not necessarily cheap. In fact, you may have heard the phrase, "it's cheaper to keep her." What about him though? "Cheaper to keep him," may be true too, but it doesn't sound as good. Oh well, with the holiday season upon us and given the state of the economy in general, household finances are an issue. When divorce hits, it can be a financial disaster no matter when the separation occurs.

While tracking the money spent on divorce is simply a matter of accounting, the intangible benefits are harder to see, but, they are priceless. When ending conflict is a common goal, your quality of life is much better. If there are children involved, there are a whole host of reasons to consider collaborative law. Show your children that you love them more than you dislike your ex.

Collaboratively trained professionals are not only concerned about the outcome, but the process. If you have children together, you and your spouse will still have to deal with each other for many years after the divorce is final. Learning how to co-parent is an important step in learning how to act in your children's best interests.

Generally speaking, lawyers often to not require as much as an upfront retainer in collaborative cases as they might otherwse charge in a contested case. From the attorney's perspective, collaborative billing methods work well because when the money stops, so does the attorney's obligation to work on your behalf. In contested cases that are already in the court system., a lawyer must generally file a motion with the court and get permission to get out of the case, once he or she is in the case, this is not true with collaborative cases, as they are handled outsde of court. - 16089

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