"Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over."
- Nicole Sobont
Coronavirus is indeed upending life for more and more people. Most of us are feeling uncertainty, fear and anxiety about what the future holds. Not to mention the drastic drop in social contact we are all experiencing – whether we are quarantined, working in our homes or following local/national mandates to minimize exposure to crowds. This feeling of uncertainty is only heightened and may in fact be overwhelming if you are facing the possibility of a divorce or separation from your partner. Taking some time to plan or prepare now might help ease the transition, give you a real sense of control and alleviate the overall stress that the divorce process can certainly cause.
The Collaborative Divorce Process is premised on the principle of teamwork and transparency. It allows a couple the unique opportunity to avoid the pitfalls of a traditional, adversarial divorce. Your skilled and highly trained collaborative divorce attorneys will guide you and your spouse to achieve a mutually agreeable settlement that is in the best interests of your family. Just a few of the major benefits of a collaborative divorce are retaining the decision-making authority, spending less time and money, developing the ability to problem-solve and experiencing less emotional turmoil. In order to best position yourself to commence the collaborative divorce process, it may be beneficial to take advantage of the present “down-time” by starting to prepare and get things underway by doing some of the legwork involved.
Here is a list to guide you in this initial information-gathering phase:
Personal Family Information – names and birthdates of your children, your spouse and yourself; social security numbers; addresses of the homes your family has resided in, pre or postnuptial agreements
The location and date of your marriage.
Current employment information for both you and your spouse.
Current income to include 3 months of paystubs and 3 years of tax returns.
Current budget information to include monthly expenses.
An inventory of assets, personal property, vehicles and debts.
Financial documents such as mortgage statements, retirement plans, bank account statements, loan statements, credit cards.
Outline of a parenting plan to include custody considerations, a weekly parenting time schedule, holiday schedule and transportation plan.
A list of extenuating circumstances that may have led to the divorce such as mental illness, substance abuse, or physical/verbal abuse.
Remember we are here to help you come to the best, most amicable solution. We, as collaborative divorce attorneys, want to help educate you about this alternative process. Together, as a “team”, we will reach a settlement that will give you and your spouse relief… not devastation.