You have made the difficult decision to divorce or dissolve your domestic partnership.
The adversarial court-based divorce process makes a difficult situation worse. Litigation heightens conflict by placing you and your spouse/partner in a win-or-lose dynamic. The stakes feel very high and personally consequential. With lawyers speaking for you and the judge making final decisions on your behalf, there is no agency. And, your private matters are part of the public record.
Despite the difficult nature of divorce, you do have some choice about how the process unfolds. You can choose to avoid the adversarial nature of the court-based process by choosing Mediation or Collaborative Divorce.
Either of these process options would enable you to work jointly with your spouse or partner to find a solution that is mutually acceptable. Studies show that couples who dissolve their marriage or domestic partnership through mediation or collaborative practice have greater satisfaction with the outcome and agreements made. Both allow more opportunities for each partner to express themselves, feel listened to, and co-create the final agreements. These practices are also faster, more cost-effective, and more private.
Topics which must be addressed in a divorce are child and spousal support, child custody, and property division.