Alabama Collaborative Divorce Lawyer Promotes Cooperation

Compassionate family law attorney helps clients in the Birmingham area avoid litigation

For many couples, divorce proceedings are traumatic and greatly exacerbate the heartache of their loss. Because the justice system is built to be adversarial, it encourages conflict and may incite anger. For the couple that wants their divorce proceedings to actually begin the healing process, collaborative divorce can be a healthy option. At Joseph C. Somma, PC, I help clients in the Birmingham area and throughout Alabama achieve lasting and amicable settlements through the collaborative process. I offer legal support that saves time, stress and expense.

Dedicated advocate guides clients through a cooperative process

Collaborative divorce allows couples to work through a nonconfrontational, nonadversarial process to reach the best result for themselves and their children. In collaborative divorce, each spouse hires an attorney and the four work together to reach the best arrangement for the future. They address all the same concerns as those discussed during a traditional divorce, including:

• Child custody and visitation rights
• Child support
• Asset distribution
• Marital debt division
• Sale or possession of the marital home
• Spousal support and temporary support

However, rather than resolving conflicts in open court, the couple and their attorneys privately work in a manner that reduces stress and anxiety and moves quickly toward resolution.

Caring counselor advises on the potential benefits of collaborative divorce

The advantages of collaborative divorce are many:

• Additional privacy — Since the agreement is worked out in private rather than in court, personal information is held in confidence and there is much less of a public record.
• Time savings — The collaborative process goes much more quickly than one that involves scheduled court appearances and formal discovery.
• Cost savings — Attorney fees are lower because of the reduced time factor.
• Less emotional turmoil — The act of dealing with your former spouse in a cooperative manner means that you do not face as much stress.

However, before deciding on collaborative divorce, you must be sure you and your spouse are a good fit for the process and are willing to commit all the way through. The collaborative attorneys you hire must pledge not to litigate your case, so if you decide to pursue a traditional divorce, you have to start over from square one with new representation.

The cooperative process is not for everyone

For collaborative divorce to succeed, an atmosphere of trust must exist. This is not possible in marriages where there has been domestic violence or emotional abuse. Such divorces are better suited to the adversarial process of the court.

Contact a reliable Alabama collaborative divorce attorney

If you believe the collaborative divorce process could work for you, call Joseph C. Somma, PC at 205-937-3951 or contact me online to schedule a consultation at my Alabama office. I’ll give you all the information you need to move forward to a more hopeful future.