What is a Collaborative Divorce in Colorado, and Are You A Candidate?
It is not uncommon for marriages to fall apart or not work out. Divorce is often messy and complicated. While the idea of collaborative divorce sounds like a great way to end a divorce, the truth of the matter is that many spouses have no desire to work together.
You are probably angry with your soon-to-be ex and ready to fight for everything you are entitled to in your divorce. Collaborative divorce was designed to be a great way for you and your spouse to negotiate the terms of your divorce cooperatively as opposed to working against each other. But in the real world, divorce is rarely, if ever, collaborative.
What Is a Collaborative Divorce?
Many, if not most, marriages will end badly. It is rare for a divorce settlement to be amicable in Colorado. Collaborative divorce was intended to provide opportunities for spouses to move forward with their lives, doing as little damage as possible to themselves and their families. But the idea of a collaborative divorce is often better than the actual process. When your spouse has cheated on you, been charged with a crime, or has otherwise driven you to divorce, the last thing you want is to work with them. They might even be out to take you for everything you have worked so hard for. When you need a divorce lawyer who isn’t afraid to help you assert your rights and fight back, call Mitch Geller.
What Is the Likelihood Of a Collaborative Divorce Working?
Unfortunately, collaborative divorce just doesn’t work for most people. Both parties must be dedicated to reducing costs, reducing conflict, and negotiating a fair and reasonable divorce settlement. Given that many divorcing couples can barely be in the same room as one another, collaborative divorce only works on rare occasions.
Unless both parties are committed to working together to resolve child custody, spousal maintenance, and division of the property and assets, collaborative divorce is unlikely to be successful. For this reason, most attempts at collaborative divorce prove to be unsuccessful.
How Long Is the Collaborative Divorce Process?
On average, the length of a standard divorce proceeding in Colorado is approximately six to nine months long. If collaborative divorce ends up working for you and your family, your divorce could be resolved in as few as 91 days. With that being said any disputes that may arise along the way are sure to lengthen the amount of time it takes to settle your divorce. You might start with collaborative divorce and realize at some point there’s no chance of it working. At that point, you’ll want a tough family lawyer who will represent you in formal proceedings.
How Much Will a Collaborative Divorce Cost?
One of the primary goals of collaborative divorce is to reduce your costs. In a successful collaborative divorce in Colorado, your costs will be lower because your attorneys will need to intervene less often than they would if you were to go to trial.
But we know that collaborative divorce is not often successful. In your attempt to work with your spouse, only for it to further expand the conflict, you could even wind up costing yourself more in the end. If your spouse has wronged you or you are just ready to make sure that they don’t take advantage of you in your divorce, collaborative divorce is unlikely to be the right option for you.
Are You a Good Candidate for a Collaborative Divorce?
When parties are unable to come to an agreement regarding important matters such as spousal maintenance, and the division of your assets and debts, it is not uncommon for divorce to get messy fast. One party might feel as though they have been wronged by the other and they are entitled to certain assets, property, or spousal maintenance as part of their divorce settlement. The other might feel as though they are dealing with a spouse who is out to take everything that they can get out of the divorce settlement. Some people simply don’t want to spend any more time or energy arguing with their spouse- after all, if you were able to work things out together, you probably wouldn’t be in divorce court in the first place. If this sounds like what the end of your marriage has been like, collaborative divorce is not a good option for you. You need a battle-tested divorce lawyer at your side to go to court.
Contact a Denver Divorce Lawyer Today
Collaborative divorce is a nice concept. But at the end of the day, it is unlikely to be a good option for most people who have one goal: to win in their divorce settlement. If you have the same hopes for your divorce, contact Denver divorce lawyer Mitch Geller. Schedule a no-cost, risk-free consultation when you call our office at (720) 696-7897. Or complete our convenient contact form and someone from our office will be in touch to discuss the specific details of your impending divorce.