Oaks
 

More Information

At A Friendly Divorce our mission is to be there when you need us.  Our purpose is to save our clients money and heartache. We help couples move in a more positive direction, side-step the negative nature of an court-driven divorce, problem-solve, reach agreement, secure uncontested divorces, and find friendlier futures.

​

Many of the couples who end up with an court-driven divorce wouldn’t be there if they knew that another option existed. Our goal is to let it be known that there is a better way.

​​

When a couple has children, divorce is a process of family restructuring: the marriage ends, but the husband and wife remain Mom and Dad. It is their task to transition from living in one house to two and continue to be a part of their children's lives.

When a couple has no children they still need a forum for cooperative problem solving in order to divide their property and finances; make shifts in their physical, social, and psychological lives; prepare the necessary court paperwork; and move positively into the next phase of their lives.

​

Our problem-solving philosophy differs from the tenets of adversarial divorce. We know that collaborative or traditional attorney-driven divorces are right for some families. This is the way to go if you or your spouse needs legal protection. For example, if you are unaware of what the marital assets are or how much your spouse earns, you may want a divorce attorney to investigate all of these details before agreeing to any financial arrangements. Additionally, if you or your spouse feels intimidated as the result of domestic violence or coercion, negotiating without a divorce lawyer is not a good idea.

We also know that when people are emotionally vulnerable and feeling betrayed, rejected, and frightened, it’s easy to fall into the downward spiral of an attorney-driven divorce. And, so many couples are poorly served by a legal process that treats divorce, which we see as a major life transition, as if it was just another law suit. 

​​

​

​

​

​​​Our unique divorce mediation process provides a forum for communication and problem solving. Typically, the process includes two to four face-to-face meetings, which may be combined with individual telephone or email consultation.  Depending on the issues and the personalities involved, the process will typically take between two and eight hours.

​

Mediation becomes a time for negotiation and opening up the channels of communication. During mediation the mediator will gather information about your children (if any), your finances, and how you want to handle things in the future.  The mediator will help you find trade-offs, collaborate, and create an agreement. 

Following your mediation session you will receive a draft of your customized Marital Settlement Agreement. This agreement will cover future parenting plans and how finances (and child support) will be handled during and after the divorce. Later you will go back to your mediator to read and sign your Marital Settlement Agreement. Finally, your mediator will fill-in the state approved forms necessary for filing an uncontested divorce.

​

If you need a QDRO (to divide a pension/IRA/401K), a deed, or a revision to your estate plan we can refer you to other legal resources. Ultimately, your agreement and forms will be filed with the Clerk of the Court and your case will be set for a final hearing as an uncontested dissolution of marriage.

​

Beyond Divorce:  Paternity and Modifications.  Besides divorce, your Mediator can help you with some additional issues.  If you and your co-parent were never married a mediator can still help you reach agreement regarding time sharing with your children, child support, and other expenses.  Additionally, if you and a former spouse want to modify an existing parenting plan or child support arrangement, talk to one of our mediators about how we can help you.

​

​

​

​

Generally, our clients are drawn to the idea of A Friendly Divorce because of their desire to avoid the often destructive aspects of a court-driven divorce. These couples are committed to moving through the process of divorce without retaining divorce attorneys because they want to avoid the chaos associated with that process. Typically, couples come to us before any divorce paperwork has been filed with the court.

​

Our clients come from a wide variety of backgrounds and situations.

We work with clients who are:

• Married couples with children, seeking a divorce

• Married couples with no children, seeking a divorce

• Unmarried couples who share a child or children and need to create a parenting (time-sharing, parental responsibility, and child support) plan

• Unmarried couples who own property or a business together or who have investments together

• Married couples who are not ready to divorce, but need a plan to guide them during a transition period and through a possible divorce

• Divorced couples who want to modify their original divorce agreement

• Couples who want to negotiate a pre-marital plan or a marriage pact for handling finances, in-laws, and other arrangements.

​

Many of our clients are middle income people, unable or too overstretched to invest in two retainers and the legal discovery process that is part of an attorney-driven divorce. However, we also see people who have amassed substantial wealth and don’t want to divide it three ways – yours, mine, and the lawyers’.

​​​

If you and your spouse/partner are good candidates for A Friendly Divorce you agree that:

• You don’t want to spend your financial resources on two attorneys who typically have retainers of at least $5,000 each and whose focus is litigating or arguing over dividing whatever is left

• Your kids shouldn’t become entangled in a legal battle

• You don’t want to get stuck in conflict for years to come

• You want to settle things more easily and quickly so you can move on from this difficult time

​

​

​