Many people who have been through a divorce describe it as being mentally and emotionally draining. There’s a strong likelihood that the people who describe it that way have ended up having a judge decide matters for them in a courtroom.
Litigation isn’t the only option for settling a divorce. Other options, such as pursuing a collaborative or mediated divorce, can be far less draining. These options may also be best for helping you reach a settlement that you can feel comfortable with.
How does collaborative divorce work?
Each spouse generally hires their own respective attorneys before engaging in the collaborative divorce process. That lawyer ensures that their client is aware of their rights throughout the divorce process.
Each client and their attorney essentially set their own terms and engage in negotiations among the four of them as part of the collaborative divorce process. The goal in doing all this is to ultimately resolve their differences and work out agreements without going to court.
How does a collaborative divorce compare to a mediated one?
Divorcing couples who can’t see eye-to-eye on certain matters can still give mediation a try as a way to resolve their differences. In this process, each spouse may still retain their own attorneys, but a mediator helps the couple reach a resolution on matters like custody (conservatorship in Texas) and property division.
If you and your spouse want to work out agreements that you can both be satisfied with, then pursuing a collaborative or mediated divorce may help you achieve the end result that you’re looking for.