469-406-4320
5900 S. Lake Forest Drive, Suite 200,
McKinney, TX 75070
Recent Blog Posts
Achieve an amicable settlement by avoiding 3 mistakes
Whether you’ve been married for five or 30 years, making a decision to file for divorce in a Texas court is an intensely personal, solemn issue. Especially if you’re a parent, you understand from the start that such a decision is going to disrupt your family’s life, although that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to ruin it.
The good news is that, with a strong support network in place, you can negotiate a fair agreement without even stepping foot inside a courtroom. There are several common mistakes you’ll want to avoid in order to accomplish this goal.
You do not need an attorney to obtain a divorce
If you’re under the impression that you must hire an attorney and go to court to obtain a divorce, it is simply not true. You and your spouse may wish to negotiate the terms of your own settlement, and you are allowed to do so. There are mediation service providers who can assist you as you initiate discussion sessions to devise a child custody plan or to talk about property division or alimony issues. Negotiating a settlement outside a courtroom is typically less expensive and takes less time than litigation.
3 benefits of choosing divorce mediation
If you are considering a divorce, you may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of a potentially lengthy, expensive and emotionally draining trial process. In addition to concerns about separating property and finances, you may worry that a court order will prevent you from maintaining a close relationship with your children.
Even if you do not agree with your spouse about everything, mediation may offer a healthier, cost-effective way to sort out your differences while maintaining control over important financial and family decisions.
1. A stronger financial future
From court costs to attorney fees, the expenses associated with a litigated divorce can be steep. Mediation may offer an economical alternative. Another financial benefit of mediation is the fact that you and your spouse can make your own choices about how to divide property and other assets.
How co-parents can avoid back-to-school child custody stress
When you're a Texas parent who is in the process of settling a divorce, your children's well-being is undoubtedly a top priority. This is also a main concern of the court as well. You simply can't be too thorough when it comes to writing out terms of agreement for your child custody and co-parenting plan.
The back-to-school season is a time when many parents who are currently navigating or have recently finalized a divorce may encounter challenges in their co-parenting plan. This is one of many reasons it's so important for you to build a strong support network from the start. That way, if a problem arises, you do not have to handle it alone.
Keep parental conflict regarding child custody at bay
It would likely be illogical to assume that you and your ex will never disagree about child-related issues in your post-divorce lifestyle. It's not uncommon for parents to have different parenting styles or to interpret what is best for their children in different ways.
Divorce: How to avoid financial distress on the way to settlement
If you were to conduct a survey of the financial statuses of Texas residents, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who has not encountered financial challenges at some point in life. In fact, you'd likely be able to relate to one or more stories of having to pinch pennies or cut superfluous spending to make ends meet along the way.
Even if you're in a comfortable financial position at this time, it doesn't necessarily mean you don't worry about money issues. Especially if a specific life event is going to involve new expenses, you'll want to thoroughly review all available options to make well-informed decisions. Divorce is one such issue that can land you in financial distress if you're not careful.
Divorce is not one-size-fits-all
You might have a lot of well-meaning friends and family members, perhaps some who have already navigated divorce, who want to give you financial advice as you prepare to negotiate a settlement. It's okay to listen to advice from people who care about you.
Divorce mediation requires peaceful negotiation skills
In your daily life in Texas, do people often tell you that you're persuasive? Do your peers come to you with their problems because they trust your advice and have confidence in your problem-solving skills? Maybe you focused your career on helping others troubleshoot their problems.
Then again, you might consider yourself someone who becomes flustered or nervous when trying to discuss a disagreement with another person in order to resolve the issue. Maybe you feel intimidated when someone tries to convince you that his or her idea is best. Either way, if you're considering divorce mediation as a means to achieve settlement, you'll want to brush up on your negotiation skills.
Effective tools that are useful for mediation negotiations
You and your soon-to-be ex might have a few things you still agree on, such as not wanting your divorce to cause a lot of stress in your children's lives or a desire to keep expenses as low as possible. Having common ground is useful when your goal is to engage in peaceful negotiation to achieve a fair settlement. The following list includes additional helpful tips:
Child custody: What terms should be part of your agreement?
Especially if you were married 10 or more years, not living with your spouse anymore may take some getting used to. Your children, in particular, may encounter challenges adapting to a new lifestyle where their parents live in separate households. Divorce isn't easy, but it doesn't necessarily have to ruin your kids' lives. By agreeing to mediate your divorce instead of litigating in a Texas courtroom, you're agreeing to try to settle your differences and design a child custody plan built on cooperation.
When your children see that you and your ex are willing to work together as a parenting team, they may be less worried about their future and better able to come to terms with the changes in their lives. Figuring out what exact terms to incorporate into your co-parenting plan can be challenging, however.
Stipulations help clarify terms
You and your ex might agree that you will take turns driving your children to school or sporting events or wherever else they need to go. Adding stipulations to terms like these in your co-parenting agreement helps avoid confusion. For instance, you might wish to include a stipulation stating that if one of you is unable to take his or her turn driving the children, he or she is to notify the other parent before asking another adult to fill in as a substitute driver.
How the divorce mediation process works
You and your spouse have decided to call it quits, and you could not feel more relieved. You want to get on with your own life as quickly as possible. But you are worried that the process of going to divorce court will slow you down and give you an unwanted headache to boot.
The good news? You do not have to go to trial to complete the divorce process in Texas. Instead, you can go through the more amicable divorce mediation process. Here is a rundown on how the mediation process works from start to finish.
First steps
If you and your future ex-spouse decide to go through divorce mediation, you will work with a mediator to resolve your major divorce issues. The mediator's role is not to determine which party is wrong or right. Rather, he or she will help you both to arrive at a solution that works for you both.
At the beginning of the mediation process, both you, your future ex and the mediator will meet to establish ground rules. Then, you and the other party can clarify perceptions and identify issues through opening statements. Afterward, you can start discussing your divorce issues, with the mediator passing demands and offers between you both.
Avoid divorce stress: How to create a peaceful co-parenting plan
When you decided that you would rather move on in life without your spouse rather than stay in an unhappy relationship, you may have worried about how your decision would affect your children's lives. Divorce isn't easy, and the process of resolving child custody issues, financial issues and other important matters can cause a lot of stress. Like all good Texas parents, you want what's best for your kids.
You've probably heard horror stories about long, contentious court battles that have greatly disrupted children's lives and caused them a tremendous amount of stress. It doesn't necessarily have to be that way, however, especially if you and your spouse are willing to compromise and cooperate for your kids' sakes.
Divorce mediation might be a viable option
When you think of divorce, do you desire to resolve important issues, leave the past behind and move on to a new lifestyle in as painless a manner as possible? If you and your spouse get along well enough to engage in peaceful discussion, you might be able to mediate your divorce.
Ways to stay close to your kids after divorce
When you mediated your divorce, you may have been a bit anxious or worried about your children's ability to cope with the significant changes the situation would be prompting in their lives. You love your kids more than anything in the world, and you only want what is best for them. Most mediators agree that children fare best if they continue to spend ample time with both parents after divorce.
As a parent, you may encounter several challenges as you and your kids adapt to a new lifestyle and search for your new "normal" together. It's understandable that you might feel sad or frustrated, for instance, coming home from work and not having the kids there to spend the evening together. With a positive attitude and a strong support network, you can be proactive to maintain a close bond with your children.
Practical tips for non-custodial parents
Why mediation is often best option for Texas parents
The day you got married, it was unlikely that you imagined you would one day be getting divorced. In fact, like many Texas spouses, you may have been with your partner for 10 years or more and had several children before determining that your relationship was not working out as you'd hoped it might. Like all good parents, your kids are your top priority, which is why you want to find a way to settle your divorce as swiftly and painlessly as possible.
While you may no longer want to be married to your spouse, you understand that, as parents, you'll always have a connection in life. Parents in similar situations, who want to cut ties as spouses but avoid confrontation for the sake of their children, often choose divorce mediation instead of going to court.
Parents who mediate their divorce cite benefits
The idea that you can settle your divorce and move on in life without stepping foot inside a courtroom may interest you. Many other parents in past situations have felt the same. The following list includes benefits such parents often cite as to why mediation is a great option:
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From our office in McKinney, Texas, we provide divorce-related mediation services to clients throughout North Texas, including in Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Celina, Prosper, Little Elm, The Colony, Little Elm, Carrollton, Denton, Addison, Lewisville, Allen, Richardson, Lucas, Parker, Sachse, Murphy, Grapevine, Coppell, Farmers Branch, Dallas County, Denton County, and Collin County.
5900 S. Lake Forest Drive, Suite 200, McKinney, TX 75070
469-406-4320
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