Our team at K. Dean Kantaras, P.A. is committed to helping Florida couples work together to dissolve their marriages. Under the right circumstances, a collaborative divorce can be a good way for couples to arrive at a win-win agreement without giving control to a judge. But the process and its many strict legal requirements may not be appropriate for all couples.
At the Law Offices of K. Dean Kantaras, P.A., our Clearwater marital law attorneys have the specialized skills and training to determine if a collaborative divorce is right for you, and take you through the divorce process.
Collaborative divorce works best when couples are able to sit down and have rational discussions about the issues they face. Each spouse must be able to put his or her hostility aside and focus on constructive solutions that benefit the whole family, which includes the other spouse and their children. Usually, two specially trained collaborative lawyers facilitate the process, although a single lawyer can sometimes manage.
Finally, you need to be aware of one critical rule: If the spouses cannot reach an agreement through collaboration, the collaborative attorneys are not allowed to represent either spouse in court. This means you must start over by finding a new attorney.
Today, the majority of couples who divorce settle matters outside of court, because litigation is so expensive and other alternatives are far less costly. A collaborative divorce study of 199 cases showed the median cost for collaborative divorce was $19,723 compared to full-scale litigation at a median cost of $77,746. Collaborative divorce is roughly one-fourth the cost of litigation.
Litigation involves court fees, attorney fees, and massive expenses during discovery. Litigation is adversarial, which means attorneys spend time investigating, deposing, and gathering information against the other party to present in court. In many cases, the divorce becomes a battle where both spouses lose.
Discussing your situation in detail with our collaborative attorneys is the best way to determine whether collaborative divorce is right for you. Spouses who want to make divorce an amicable transition that is cost-effective and minimally stressful are usually good candidates for collaborative divorce.
Contact a Clearwater divorce lawyer at K. Dean Kantaras, P.A. for a consultation! Our attorneys have extensive skills and training in collaborative family law. K. Dean Kantaras is board-certified in marital and family law by the Florida Bar.
We have been serving Florida families for almost 25 years. Call us at (727) 939-6113 to learn about how our firm can manage your collaborative divorce!