Getting Divorced? The Magic Word: Collaborate.
By MaryEllen Linnehan, Esq.
Last week, one of my clients called me in distress: he had just been furloughed, and with cash as tight as it was, he had no idea how he would pay his child support. Another client worried that, since her ex was a healthcare worker, on the Covid-19 front line, how could she trust that the children would be safe in his home?
With the courts essentially closed, what can divorcing couples do to address important and urgent family issues? The challenges of dealing with Covid-19 have created high stress and emotional upset for families. Many families are facing economic turmoil, resulting in serious cash flow problems. Parents are understandably fearful about their child’s safety, and arguments about which parent’s home is safer for the children are sprouting up everywhere. For couples still living together, cooped up in isolation, dealing with each other can be a nightmare. Tensions flare, and children may be exposed to more unhappiness and toxic conflict between parents.
There is a lot of uncertainty about when courts will reopen. Even when they do, litigants typically face long waiting periods to obtain relief. Families need help now.
There is a better way to deal with divorce and conflict without court: Collaborative Divorce. People can begin the Collaborative Divorce process immediately. There is no waiting period, and couples can work within their own timeline, moving as quickly or slowly as they need to.
Here’s how the Collaborative Divorce process can help:
- Deal with immediate financial and co-parenting concerns, in both divorce and post-divorce situations
- Focus on what matters to each party
- Keep the children front and center
- Work together to make decisions tailored to the needs of all family members
- Preserve family privacy
- Preserve assets
Couples can work together right now during the shutdown. In the Collaborative Divorce process we work in a safe and supportive team environment. Couples have the support and guidance of their attorneys, a divorce family specialist to help with co-parenting, communication, and emotional needs, and a neutral financial specialist to work the numbers. We can help not only with long term outcomes, but also with immediate solutions to ease financial and emotional tension.
Dealing with conflict is hard enough during normal times; trying to resolve urgent divorce-related economic and parenting issues during a pandemic requires a herculean effort. The caring legal, mental health, and financial professionals who work in the Collaborative Divorce process can help you get the negotiating done in a respectful and dignified way. When court opens, we’ll be there with your signed agreement ready to file.
To speak with a Collaborative Divorce professional, visit www.CollaborateNY.com.
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