Divorce Without Dishonor

A rural Cambodian couple took a King Solomon approach to divorce. In terminating their 18-year marriage they sawed in half the house they once shared. The husband and his relatives removed his half of the wood and tile structure, leaving his former wife’s half standing on the original foundations but open to the elements along one side. “Very strange,” the wife told news reporters, “but this is what my husband wanted.”

Madonna and Guy Ritchie haven’t chosen to settle their divorce in such a literal manner, but after 8 years of marriage they’re working to divide their assets. Ritchie stands to gain $60 million in the settlement on top of his personal $44 million fortune. Madonna’s net worth is estimated at between $325 and $515 million. So far there haven’t been reports of ugly squabbling in the press, but it’s still early.

If you want to avoid ugly arguments about asset and property division or child custody and visitation, you should consider a collaborative divorce. Collaborative divorce occurs outside the court room. With the help of attorneys, counselors and coaches, you and your spouse — not a judge with no knowledge of your family — make the decisions that will impact your lives and your children’s lives.

Visit our website to find out more about collaborative divorce.

Marriage these days is a 50-50 proposition. According to U.S. census figures, 50% of marriages fail between people 45 and younger. Divorce rates are somewhat better for couples 60 and older, only 36%. Divorce has the reputation of being a vicious, no-holds-barred, tooth and claw fight with the spoils — including children — going to the victor. It’s a scenario continually played out on the silver screen, TV and celebrity gossip magazines.

The reality of litigated divorce is usually less dramatic than the Hollywood fiction, but just as devastating to the couple and their children. The problem lies in the very nature of litigation which pits one side against the other. The implication, even in no-fault-divorces, is that one side is right, the other wrong. Divorce is rarely that simple.

Fed up with legal battles and high fees, a growing number of people are turning to collaborative divorce as an alternative to litigation. Collaborative divorce brings the parties together in an atmosphere of respect to divide their property and determine how they will continue to parent their children. Each spouse has an attorney who is committed to reaching an agreement outside the courtroom. The emphasis is on building a mutually-agreeable foundation for the future that allows each partner to move forward while retaining his rights and involvement as a parent.

Visit Mike Mastracci’s website for more information on collaborative divorce.

It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt. — Mark Twain