Collaborative Divorce is Now the Only Game in Town

By Attorney Jennifer Davis

During this pandemic, Collaborative Divorce is your divorce option! CCDG can still do 95 percent of a divorce without the courts, which are needed only to finalize the separation agreement as its orders. So we can still initiate the paperwork, exchange documents, negotiate, make interim parenting orders, etc. Once the court enters the final order, we can transfer retirement accounts and arrange for mortgage refinancing but we can still negotiate those issues – we just can’t finalize them.

So why are we the only game in town? Because we don’t need the courts to negotiate and come to agreements. Most people think about divorce as a court process but in a collaborative divorce, it’s a negotiating process that happens outside the courthouse. Litigators need to file motions and get court orders for things like parenting plans and sharing income to meet expenses. We make those arrangements at the negotiation table so we aren’t hampered by the court closure.

Our families are able to make agreements now for their divorce, and when the courts open, we’ll be there with a negotiated and signed agreement. They’ll be in and out of court in the blink of an eye, having done all the negotiating during shut-down, and in a supportive and safe environment to boot. Talk about being ahead of the curve!