CONTEMPORARY DIVORCE WITH GOOD JUDGMENT.
The old-fashioned mythology of divorce still lingers on television and in the popular concept of splitting up. But do you really need to linger in emotional limbo for two years (the average in Orange County) and use up your child’s college fund or your 401(k)?
Sensible people are finding their way to divorce mediators.
The essentials of a divorce are not complex:
-Identify all property (real, personal, financial) and debts;
-Characterize all property or debts as separate or community;
-Establish values for all property;
-Divide property and debts fairly between the two people;
-Decide what if any spousal support is appropriate; and
-(If you have children) Work out a parenting plan and child support.
A trained and experienced divorce mediator can assure that you acquire enough information and have enough analysis so you are able to carry on effective negotiation.
Maybe you need a divorce financial planner. Maybe you need a consultation with a divorce attorney or a forensic accountant. Whatever each party needs in order to have informed consent to an agreement is a constructive step towards the objective – a decent divorce.
Judicial Council statistics show that over 65% of people are filing their divorces without attorneys. But this does include those who are using mediators. By the end of their cases, 80% are without lawyers.
The divorce sharks are an endangered species.
