Collaborative Law Institute Blog – Family Law Attorneys & Professionals
Avoid Hurting Children by Divorce
I recently viewed a TED video about the impact of divorce on children. Professor Tamara Afifi, a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, presented the results of her research. Here are some of her findings: CONFLICT BETWEEN PARENTS, NOT DIVORCE, HARMS...
7 Elements of a Respectful Divorce
Collaborative divorce is often considered the “respectful way to divorce.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that the divorce is always amicable (although it can be), it means the divorce is done with grace and courtesy. Here are some (of the many) ways in which...
Will Divorce Ruin Your Life? Understanding Statistics.
The popular media makes a healthy profit on promoting disaster, and casting everything possible in the language of disaster. “Shocking!” and “Horrifying!” are two words we see all too often. Regarding divorce, the popular media has created disaster myths around such...
Secrets to Resolving Conflicts based on Antoinette Tuff
Compassion overruled a machine gun this week. The actions of one courageous school clerk at a Georgia elementary school saved countless lives. The skills she demonstrated in convincing a desperate man to put down his weapons can teach all of us how to resolve...
How a Divorce Ends
Many people contemplate and give great thought to starting a divorce. A person considering divorce wonders about cost and timing and how to tell their spouse they want to initiate the process. Many attorneys talk about filing papers with the court to start a divorce...
A Child’s Perspective on Divorce
Children of divorce can provide unique insights. I recently had a conversation with a young woman whose parents had divorced more than a decade ago, while she was still in her teens. Looking back, she said she appreciates some little (and not so little) things her...
3 Tips for How and When to Tell Your Spouse You Want a Divorce
Professionals who work with divorcing couples know that it is rare for couples to be at the same place in terms of deciding whether the marriage needs to end. In almost every case, there is one spouse who has taken more time to think about the life of the marriage...
How to Turn a Divorce Process into a Healing Process
How do you turn a divorce process into a healing process? By envisioning your highest goals for what you want to accomplish during the divorce and after the divorce has ended. This is what happens in a Collaborative Divorce process. Unlike the traditional divorce...
Is It Harder for a Same-Sex Couple to Divorce?
A recent article, “For gay couples, divorce comes with extra costs” describes the difficulties some people have faced in getting a same-sex divorce. Some of the difficulties identified have been addressed in Minnesota’s recent same-sex civil marriage...
Getting the Best Outcome in a Divorce: Lawyer Up or Settle Down?
You are getting ready to tell your spouse about your divorce; Should you get an attorney? On the one hand, you want to be protected. Going through divorce without an attorney can feel like entering a foreign country without a guide. During this difficult process it...
