Can you really have a civilized divorce without an expensive and stressful court battle? Ending a marriage is always difficult, but it doesn’t need to be fraught with financial or emotional conflict. This book guides you through a negotiated divorce, using alternatives to court, such as divorce mediation or a new approach called, "collaborative divorce."

Forrest S. Mosten Collaborative Divorce Handbook Helping families without going to court Praise for Collaborative Divorce Handbook "There are many roads to peace. Whether you engage in collaborative practice, which by definition includes the provision that professionals will not represent the parties in litigation, or some other process for respectful conflict resolution, you will find Collaborative Divorce Handbook to be an invaluable resource for deepening your understanding and enhancing your skills as a peacemaker." Talia L. Katz, JD, executive director, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals "Collaborative lawyering is a promising new way of resolving disputes through joint problem solving rather than adversary litigation that has particular appeal for divorce cases. Whether you are a client who seeks to learn more about it or a lawyer using it who desires a wise guiding hand, this book is an invaluable resource." Frank E. A. Sander, Bussey Professor Emeritus, Harvard Law School "Written by one of the innovative thinkers in the field, Collaborative Divorce Handbook is a treasure of information for all professionals interested in collaborative divorce. Easy to read, expansive, and chock-full of resources, it is bound to become a classic." Constance Ahrons, PhD, author, The Good Divorce and We're Still Family, and professor emerita, University of Southern California "Family law is changing. As more people realize that the adversarial process is expensive, degrading, and stressful, they look for alternatives and find it in various forms of alternative dispute resolution. Woody Mosten is the nationally recognized leader of this movement, and his book on collaborative practice literally will be 'The Handbook' we will all follow." Garrett C. Dailey, Esq., CFLS, AAML, president, Attorney's BriefCase, Inc.

The groundbreaking alternative for the millions of couples with children who face divorce each year—couples who want to avoid litigation, but don’t want to give up on getting what they want. Even under the best circumstances, divorce can be marked by a range of painful emotions. But research now reveals that how a couple conducts themselves during a divorce has far greater impact on their children than the act of divorcing itself. Groundbreaking and revolutionary, The Collaborative Way to Divorce is the first guide to the Collaborative process, a nationally acclaimed approach based on the concept that both spouses hire legal representation, yet agree to resolve their differences with no intention of ever going to court. Stressing cooperation over confrontation and resolution over revenge, Collaborative divorce is fast transforming how couples dissolve their marriages, divide their assets, and reinvent their post-divorce relationships, particularly when they have children. Written by Stu Webb, the founder of the Collaborative law movement and Ron Ousky, an early pioneer of the process, The Collaborative Way to Divorce guides you through the steps of the Collaborative process so that you can make better, more informed, and more strategic decisions—resulting in a win-win outcome for you and your spouse.

Divorce Without Court is the guide that shows couples how to end a marriage fairly and inexpensively. Couples ending their marriage can save money, time and heartache by skipping court and using mediation or “collaborative divorce”, a new approach to divorce. In this book, Attorney-Mediator Katherine Stoner explains: § How mediation works § How collaborative divorce works § How to use either to end a marriage § How to conduct oneself in the process § How to get an agreement in writing § How to find and use legal and other types of advisors Keeping divorce out of court not only saves people money and time, it lessens the impact of the separation on children and other family members involved. Divorce Without Court also provides contact information for state offices, national and regional organizations, and the standards of conduct for mediators.

Get essential information on how to end a marriage fairly and inexpensively. This book guides you through a negotiated divorce, using divorce mediation, or an increasingly popular approach called collaborative divorce. Encouraging and straightforward, Divorce Without Court explains: how mediation works. how collaborative divorce works. how to maximize opportunities for settlement. how to get an agreement in writing. how to find and use advisors. Divorce Without Court provides the latest resources, contact information for state offices, national and regional organizations, and clear examples of what you can expect. With downloadable worksheets and checklists.

You may need to journey down the warpath to stand up for what you must. Or if you and your X2B don't hate each other just because you are getting a divorce, you may work together to custom design your new, separate lives, or your new two-home family. This book tells you in detail exactly what you need know to make informed decisions, describes how you can write up your decisions in a legally binding document, or what will happen if you go to court. The back of the book contains a chart for the easy comparison of the litigation, negotiation, collaboration and mediation processes, along with many helpful financial worksheets. This Second Edition contains a new section addressing how best to discuss the separation and divorce with your children. You will also find an explanation of the Informative Mediation Process, and an extremely useful General List of Topics to be Resolved. Whether sitting down to Work it Out, or standing up to Fight it Out, for information to help shape and control your new future, and to control the costs, don't wait one minute more to order The Four Ways of Divorce.

Presents a guide to the divorce mediation process, covering how to select a mediator, going to court, negotiation, financial settlements, and judgments in contested and uncontested divorce situations.