How to avoid court in divorce proceedings

A common belief is that animosity is unavoidable in divorce proceedings, but that simply isn’t true.

While a divorce is obviously a difficult situation, the ultimate goal of divorce proceedings is to arrive at a solution which allows all the involved parties to move on and begin the next part of their lives.

You don’t even have to go to court if you and your spouse don’t want to, as you can avail of out-of-court alternatives such as a collaborative law divorce.

Collaborative law divorce

The collaborative law divorce process is a method aimed at trying to avoid the sort of animosity that can arise during court based divorce proceedings. Divorce often involves two people who simply want to get on with their new lives after agreeing that a separation is necessary. However, adversarial Court processes aimed at reaching decisions on the best arrangements for child custody, maintenance and access, as well as the division of assets and financial arrangements, can result in even more strained relationships.

People who choose to divorce using the collaborative law process commit themselves to enter into a series of round-table conversations that involve both partners and their respective solicitors working through a pre-agreed list of issues such as property arrangements, child custody, financial support, and division of assets.

The process can involve other professionals where necessary, including financial advisors, accountants and child psychologists.

A successful result of the process is a divorce agreement, agreed on by both parties, reached in such a manner that both parties have a better opportunity to maintain future contact on as amicable a basis as possible.

Click here if you would like to speak to one of our divorce solicitors in Belfast or Bangor for information or advice on a potential separation or other family law matter.