If you and your spouse are considering divorce, keep in mind that it doesn't have to necessarily mean a fight to the finish. You can take part in a kinder and gentler way to divorce, by using a method known as collaborative divorce. If you and your spouse are interested in taking a more civilized approach to divorce, read on to learn more.

It Takes a Team

Not all divorce attorneys participate in collaborative divorce, so be sure to ask about it, when you meet. With this way of dealing with divorce, a team of experts is assembled to help the couple make good decisions. You might find the following team members participating in your collaborative divorce:

1. Attorneys (one for each side)

2. Accountants and financial experts

3. Family and child therapists, child custody evaluation experts, social workers, and more.

How the Process Works

Disclosure: The methods used require openness, honesty, and full disclosure, so the process often begins with documentation showing each party's financial standing. This can include presentation of information about:

• bank accounts (savings and checking)
• retirement and investment accounts
• tax returns for the last several years
• deeds and property titles

Meetings With Agendas: While the divorce agreement is being created, regular meetings of the spouses, attorneys, and others are held on a regular basis. The agenda dictates that the meetings deal with potentially contentious issues one at a time. Addressing it this way cuts down on disagreements and allows parts of the agreement to be created and completed before moving on to a new issue.

Conflicts: When an issue arises that seems to be holding up the agenda, a conflict resolution specialist may be brought in to help the couple come to some decisions.

Why Have a Collaborative Divorce?

There are several advantages to taking this approach:

1. Stress: This process is designed to lessen animosity and reduce stress for everyone, including the children of the marriage. The parties must treat each other with respect and cooperate with each other for the process to work, which creates a more peaceful means of parting ways.

2. Time: Any time an agreement is created outside of court, you will save time. A single court appearance may be all that is necessary for this process to be complete.

3. Financial: While you will need to pay the tab for any experts that help you during the process, taking cases to court can eat up thousands of dollars before any issues are even resolved.

For more information, talk to companies like Moore Robert G Attorney at Law.