Talking to your spouse about divorce is never easy. Ideally, it is best done in a counseling environment. But often, people come into our office unsure of whether they want a divorce, and if so, how they want to proceed.
Is Divorce the Only Option?
If a person comes into our office unsure if they really want a divorce, we encourage them to work with a counselor to see if the marriage can be reconciled. A mental health professional can facilitate discussions between the couple. There may be a big issue that can be defused to avoid divorce.
If it is clear that the couple wants to proceed to a divorce, we present the different divorce options that are available:
- Mediation. A neutral mediator helps guide the spouses to making their own settlement agreement, as to how they will parent the children and how property will be divided.
- Collaborative Divorce. The parties agree not to go to court, rather to work together with a multidisciplinary team of professionals. Each spouse has their own attorney and the rest of the team may include a financial professional, a mental health professional, and/or a child specialist, depending upon the needs of the particular family. The whole team, including the attorneys, work together to help the spouses make decisions for moving forward that are in the best interests of both parties and their family.
- Traditional Litigation. Each spouse each retains their own lawyer. They can make agreements between themselves, but more often they end up going to court for a judge to decide the issues.
How Bruckner Hernandez Legal Solutions Can Help
At our law firm, we encourage our clients to choose Mediation or Collaborative Divorce. We have resources we share with clients that explain the Collaborative Divorce process. Please contact our office if you would like resources sent to you electronically or by mail.
We also provide clients with online resources. Our goal is to guide the spouses to a divorce process that will work for them that is as respectful and amicable as possible, so they are able to co-parent without animosity.
For those who need it, we offer limited scope legal services. Some people choose to do much of their divorce “pro se,” which means without legal representation in court, but they find they need some form of limited legal service. They may need a lawyer to prepare the settlement documents and/or explain their rights and responsibilities with regard to particular issues. This is a service we provide.
For more information on the best way to talk to your spouse about divorce options, and for assistance in choosing the divorce process that will work the best for you and your family, contact us at Bruckner Hernandez Legal Solutions, LLC, to schedule a consultation.