What Are You Expected to Do in Florida’s Collaborative Divorce?
Collaborative Law is a trendier, healthier, and cheaper alternative to traditional divorce litigation. While everyone knows that you get more control over your divorce through the collaborative divorce process, people are slightly confused about what is expected of them during this process.
Unlike in the traditional divorce trial, where the judge has the authority to decide all contested issues for you and your spouse, in collaborative divorce, you get to decide what is best for your particular situation through respectful and stress-free negotiation.
But what are you expected to do in collaborative divorce to resolve your differences in Orlando or elsewhere in Florida? Talk to an Orlando collaborative divorce attorney at Donna Hung Law Group to find out whether the use of collaboration can help you agree on a mutually beneficial arrangement.
What is Collaborative Divorce in Florida?
Collaborative divorce is a friendlier, more cost-efficient, and less nerve-racking alternative to the traditional divorce litigation that allows the divorcing spouses to settle their issues in a friendly environment through negotiations instead of in contentious litigation.
Basically, the main idea of the collaborative divorce process is that you are supposed to work with and not against your spouse. Third parties – a divorce attorney or neutral mediator – can help the divorcees to agree on a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Typically, Collaborative Law allows you to achieve a more favorable settlement for both parties as spouses get to have more control over the final version of their agreement.
While all of these benefits make many Floridians turn to Collaborative Law when annulling their marriage in Orlando and other parts of Florida, what are you expected to do during the process to make it work?
What to Expect During the Collaborative Divorce Process?
The collaborative divorce process begins with both parties signing a participating agreement, which typically includes the following terms:
- Both spouses will respect one another;
- Both parties will voluntarily disclose all pertinent information (e.g., regarding their income and assets);
- Spouses can hire an Orlando divorce attorney to hold four-way meetings to facilitate effective negotiations;
- Both parties have a right to retain neutral experts, including financial and mental health professionals;
- The collaborative divorce process is confidential;
- Both spouses agree to do their best to resolve their differences out of court (if the parties are unable to find the middle ground, they can continue the process through mediation or litigation); and
- The final agreement will become part of the divorce order.
Reasons to opt for the collaborative divorce process include but are not limited to:
- It is cheaper than the court process;
- Less stress and emotional trauma for everyone involved, including children;
- It helps maintain a healthy and friendly relationship after divorce;
- The divorce order will be issued faster than in the traditional litigation;
- Both parties have complete control over the schedule;
- The details of the spouses’ final agreement remain private; and
- The divorcees can decide what is best for them instead of letting the judge decide for them.
Contact our Orlando collaborative attorneys at Donna Hung Law Group to come up with the most optimal plan for your collaborative divorce process. Call at 407-999-0099 for a confidential consultation.
