Five “No-No’s” When Getting A Divorce

Any of these may be the kiss of death to an amicable, reasonably priced divorce:Don’t date. There’s no rush! This is true even if the divorce was not “your” idea. Don’t join dating services or post your Facebook status as “single.”Don’t make changes to your existing life, auto, health or other insurance policies, unless you have your spouse’s written agreement. This includes changing deductibles, carriers, insureds or beneficiaries. Don’t unilaterally tell your children you are getting a divorce. It is usually better for parents to share this information as a team. Your children do not want to take sides or be […]

Documents are King: The Importance of Documents When Considering Divorce

Divorce can be overwhelming. One of the things people may overlook is the importance of documents. Verifying the nature and extent of income, assets and debts, reimbursements and credits, and other details of divorce requires documents. Getting copies of the documents you will need now, will streamline the divorce process and may reduce the cost of divorce later.What documents?Key documents include:Income tax returns for the last three to five years, particularly if income varies, or businesses or self-employment are involved. Include all attachments, W-2s, and 1099s.Paystubs for you and your spouse for at least three months, showing all deductions from […]

Collaborative Divorce: Your Children’s Best Interest First

THE CHILD SPECIALIST AND THE COACH There are significant differences between thetraditional adversary system of evaluations and therole of the child specialist and coach. The information from the child specialist is given to the persons who need it the most, the parents. Like a mediation session for child custody, the child specialist interviews the child or children, and shares impressions with the parents first. There are no depositions; there is no cross examination. The child specialist doesn’t have to spend countless hours on tests and interviews in anticipation of being questioned later. It’s like the physician who conducts extra tests and procedures, […]

Collaborative Divorce: Learn How to Stay Out of Court

COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE – UNIQUE ROLES FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS – THE COACH – THE CHILD SPECIALIST A key event in the emergence of Collaborative Divorce in Los Angeles was held in Dept. 2 on October, 2001. Judge Aviva Bobb hosted the program, co-sponsored by the South Bay and Los Angeles County Bar Associations. Over 100 attendees heard Pauline Tesler and Nancy Ross describe the newest way of getting divorced. Attorneys along with mental health, and financial professionals have continued to formed collaborative practice groups. In 2010 there were six and now there are twelve groups in Los Angeles County: […]

How to Get a Divorce – What about a Divorce Coach?

This is the fourth in a multi-part series -How to Get a Divorce- Collaborative Divorce in Difficult Economic Times- on your options in the divorce process by A Better Divorce member, Christopher M. Moore of Moore, Bryan & Schroff LLP in Torrance, California. Divorce Coaching In most divorce cases, emotions run high. The parties can experience feelings like anger, denial, anxiety, and depression that make it hard to reach agreement on the real issues like the financial settlement and a parenting plan for the kids. To work past these dark emotions, the lawyers will urge each party to have a coach. The coaches are mental health […]