Irvine Collaborative Divorce Attorney

Collaborative divorce is an alternative to the more-traditional divorce methods that can be extremely effective for spouses who are willing to work together to bring their marriage to an end. Pursuing a collaborative divorce won’t be appropriate (or necessary) in all cases; but, if you have complicated issues that you need to resolve, or if significant assets and income are at stake in your divorce, then working with an Irvine collaborative divorce lawyer may be a good option for you.

What is a Collaborative Divorce?

Collaborative divorce is a non-adversarial method for spouses to come to terms once they have decided that they are ready for their marriage to be over. During a collaborative divorce, each spouse is represented by his or her own Irvine collaborative divorce attorney, and the spouses and their respective attorneys work together to reach an amicable resolution. The spouses can also agree to engage experts as necessary to help them resolve complex issues that they cannot resolve on their own. For example, the spouses may agree to hire a financial expert to calculate the value of a business or the future value of a 401(k), or they may agree to hire a social worker or child psychologist to help them make custody decisions with their children’s best interests in mind.

Similar to the spouses’ attorneys, these experts serve in an advisory capacity only. Their role is not to propose solutions or make decisions on the spouses’ behalf. Instead, the goal is to provide both spouses with the insights they need in order to make informed decisions.

If a collaborative divorce is successful, it will result in the spouses signing a settlement agreement that resolves all aspects of their divorce. If for any reason, the process is not successful (which is relatively rare), then each spouse will be required to engage new divorce litigation counsel in order to take the remaining issues to court.

When Should Spouses Consider a Collaborative Divorce?

Pursuing a collaborative divorce can make sense in a variety of different circumstances. Generally speaking, the process tends to be most effective when the spouses are willing to work together in good faith but need help to ensure that they are making informed decisions. For example, collaborative divorce can be a good option if:  

• One or both spouses own retirement accounts, collectibles or other assets that require valuation
• One or both spouses own a privately-held business, or the spouses jointly own a business
• The spouses have a sizeable estate that includes numerous high-value assets
• Both spouses work full-time and they need to craft a custody arrangement that adequately serves their children’s best interests
• The spouses have a child with special needs

This list is not exhaustive, but it is intended to illustrate the types of issues that can be resolved through the collaborative process. If you have questions, we encourage you to schedule a confidential consultation with our Irvine collaborative divorce lawyer today.

Request a Confidential Consultation With an Irvine Collaborative Divorce Attorney

If you would like to speak with an attorney about the possibility of pursuing a collaborative divorce, please contact us to arrange a confidential consultation at Seastrom Tuttle & Murphy. Call 949-474-0800 to speak with a representative, or send us your contact information and we will be in touch shortly.