To be or not to be Contested? That is the Question. A lot of times, people aren't sure whether their divorce is going to be contested or not contested. They want to or do believe, that if both parties want the divorce that means it's not a contested divorce. Unfortunately, we have to educate them that just because both spouses really want to divorce, does not make it uncontested. Whether it is a … [Read more...]
Child Support and Collaborative Divorce
In collaborative divorce cases, we often find that people come into the process having misunderstandings about child support. They may have read something on the internet about child support being a percentage of their income. As attorneys, we always start with explaining to clients that Texas has a statutory method for how child support is calculated. We start with gross income. Then … [Read more...]
The Kids Are Gone… Now What?
Children grow up. They go to college. They get jobs (hopefully). They move into their first house. This is the natural order of things, and what we, as parents, hope for our children. However, many couples seem to be caught by surprise at the major changes that happen when their kids leave the nest. After all the years of focusing on the kids, their absence can often leave a void in the … [Read more...]
How Collaborative Divorce Addresses Concerns for “Adult” Children
When a child reaches 18 they are legally adults, but most are not self-supporting adults. They may be in college, or may have just finished college, and they are not able to be on their own without a little help from Mom and Dad. But how do you handle these situations if Mom and Dad are getting a divorce? The collaborative divorce process provides the opportunity for the parents to be assisted … [Read more...]
Lisa Marquis: Why I believe in Collaborative Divorce
Why do you like Collaborative? I was first trained in Collaborative Divorce in 2000. I realized that I had always been handling my cases in a style similar to collaborative. My goal was to help clients come to a solution that was custom made for their family and not based upon what a judge, who does not know the family, decided was best for their children. What have you learned about this … [Read more...]
4 Tips for a Smooth Divorce
Little steps that can make a big difference in how smoothly your divorce goes In the years that I have been practicing family law I have realized that we, as lawyers, can become somewhat desensitized to the emotions that a client feels. There is the first time they see a copy of the divorce petition that has been filed by their spouse. There is the first time they meet with an attorney. The first … [Read more...]