If you have been following the divorce battles between actress-turned-reality-star Denise Richards and her ex Charlie Sheen, and former first couple of New Jersey, the McGreeveys, you know that divorce can get so bitter that the parties involved suffer a lot more than your average divorcee.

The gay former governor of New Jersey recently announced in divorce court that he is bankrupt because of his mounting legal bills.

On the other side of the battlefield is his former wife, Dina Matos, is demanding alimony and child support to maintain a lifestyle she was accustomed to when McGreevey was in office. There’s a tussle that is going on for a long time.

The other angry ex-family portrait is Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen two-year divorce war that has their break up finalized but they are still in the throes of a long child custody battle.

Is it possible to avoid the financial and emotional casualties that have become synonymous with divorce? Yes, and how you can is through collaborative divorce.

What is collaborative divorce?

Collaborative divorce is a relatively new legal concept that has only been in practice for a decade in the U.S. It was invented by Stuart G. Webb, a burned-out Minneapolis family lawyer, who decided to help former spouses negotiate divorce settlements, but left litigation to other attorneys who had more flair in the courtroom.

This is basically a method of resolving conflicts through cooperative negotiation, as opposed to adversarial strategies and litigation, or to put it simply, going to court. The point of collaborative divorce is to make sure everyone’s interests are served fairly. One other big advantage of this approach is that it halves legal costs.

Collaborative divorce does not mean there is an absolute absence of conflict, but what it offers ex-couples are interest-based bargaining techniques of mediation to their legal affairs.

Both spouses and their lawyers sign a participation agreement where they agree that if a settlement is not reached, the lawyers will not participate in the ensuing litigation. The contract also includes collaborative clauses such as:

* Both parties will act in their children’s best interests and promote parental-child relations to reduce the emotional damage to the children due to the divorce.

* All communication during the divorce process will be constructive and fair, and neither party will take advantage of errors made by the other party;

* No changes can be made to assets, insurance coverages or other financial matters during the process without consent of the other party.

So try it the Robin Williams’ way: the comedian and his estranged wife Marsha Garces Williams pledged to be “honest, cooperative and respectful” during their divorce proceedings. Talk about unhitching amicably.

Related posts:

1. Sharing custody Part 2: Benefits of child custody mediation
2. Robin William’s wife files for divorce
3. How much do divorce lawyers cost?

Sphere: Related Content