Litigated divorces can often be embarrassing for both spouses. Trying to secure a certain custody outcome or influence property division may require spouses to discuss the worst things that happened during their marriages. Infidelity, drug use and compulsive shopping could all become part of the public record thanks to a contested, acrimonious divorce.
Whether you engaged in misconduct during your marriage or were just the victim of mistreatment, the idea of having all of that information made public and possibly accessible to anyone, including your children, may bother you. Thankfully, collaborative divorce offers a way for you to address those issues without testifying about them in court.
Negotiations or mediation give couples space and confidentiality
In a collaborative divorce, you and your ex negotiate with one another either in person or through your attorneys to decide how to split your property and how to share custody. Provided that you can agree on all of the outstanding issues from your marriage, you could file for an uncontested divorce — which would be cheaper and faster than litigation, by far.
If you can’t negotiate directly with any success, mediation could also be an option. Having a third-party professional guide to the process could help you explore the issues that you feel should influence the settlement while still keeping things confidential. In theory, whatever you say with your attorney or in a mediation setting will remain private. That means that collaborative divorce gives you the opportunity to address major issues without exposing them to the public or in front of a judge.
Looking at all of your options, including collaborative divorce, before you file can make the whole process easier and less stressful — and that’s definitely worth considering.