Divorce is difficult, but mediation can make the process easier by providing solutions that allow the parties to keep more control over their divorce. Whether you are familiar with mediation or are just learning about it, here are the top five most frequently asked questions about divorce mediation. What is mediation? Mediation is like sitting down with a neutral third-party to sort things out. The mediator is there to set the ground rules and make sure the parties have a productive conversation that hopefully leads to an agreement. Mediators help parties identify issues and find common ground ..read more

Divorce can be one of the most challenging periods in a person’s life, marked by emotional turmoil, uncertainty and significant changes in daily routines and long-term plans. If you’re divorcing, taking care of yourself becomes paramount during this time so that you can navigate the process with resilience and lay the groundwork for a healthy future. Self-care during a divorce encompasses emotional, physical and financial well-being. It’s easy to neglect these actions because you’re so focused on your divorce process, but making sure to care for yourself is critical. Prioritize emotional well ..read more

More and more often, co-parents are taking advantage of virtual visitation arrangements. This ability to connect with one parent when a child is residing with the other can help both parents maintain a consistent and meaningful relationship with their children, regardless of the particulars of their parenting schedule. Virtual visitation, which includes video calls, messaging and other distance-based communication methods, can help bridge the gap between scheduled periods of in-person parenting time. As technology evolves, so do the resources available to enhance these virtual interactions, ma ..read more

If you’re going through a divorce, two of the main agreements you need to reach are regarding property division and the allocation of child custody rights. Marital property has to be divided between you and your spouse. If you have children, you have to divide parenting time and decision-making power. But what if you have a pet? Perhaps you and your spouse got married, bought a house and then rescued a dog. You think of your dog as part of your family. Is the court going to issue a custody plan so that the two of you can share ownership of the dog after your divorce? What does the law say? No ..read more

Gray divorce, or a divorce that occurs between spouses who are over the age of 50 and who have been married for a significant period of time, is often different from divorce earlier in life. People may only have a few years left until retirement or they already have started retirement. They therefore have more reason to worry about the financial impact of ending a marriage. Property division is an important consideration in any divorce, but there are resources that are often of the utmost importance for those approaching their golden years. The following resources are often the most important ..read more

People sometimes worry about the negative side of divorce. How will they make ends meet on one income? How are they going to divide parenting time with their children? It is important to consider these types of questions and concerns. But you also want to think about different ways in which divorce may improve your life, showing you why this process is beneficial. Here are a few examples. Your ex may have actively been making your life worse One clear example is when your ex is a toxic individual or a narcissist. They may have been very controlling and they may have created a lot of unnecessar ..read more

Co-parenting is a common way that parents of minor children, who are no longer romantically linked, manage their situation. This is what most ex-couples manage to do with varying degrees of ease and success. They cooperate in the raising of their child. In some cases, that is too much to ask, and if violence or abuse was an issue in your marriage, you may want to keep contact with your ex to the bare minimum. This is where parallel parenting can come in. What is parallel parenting? Parallel parenting can be effective whatever the split of parenting time. All it means is that when the child is ..read more

It is very common for divorced couples to sell their family home. They may be co-parents who are raising children in that home together. But the divorce has changed their plans and so they sell the house and move on. One of the major reasons that people do sell the house is so that they can split up the money that they earn. It’s one of the easier ways to divide marital property. But there are situations in which it may be beneficial for co-parents to keep the home even after divorce. The custody arrangement For one thing, couples may use a custody arrangement where that home is important. An ..read more

A family member who is struggling with addiction can create a variety of challenges. Money that could support a decent standard of living might go toward purchasing alcohol or drugs. Someone who could help around the house or contribute to the upbringing of children may instead become volatile or negligent because they are frequently under the influence. Those married to an individual who is struggling with an unmanaged substance abuse disorder may eventually reach the conclusion that the best solution for the family will involve them getting a divorce. How can someone divorcing because of add ..read more

One spouse often earns more than the other during a marriage. In fact, it is still somewhat common for someone to give up their outside earning potential to take care of the family. They may forgo outside employment to raise the children or maintain the household. Unfortunately, those who give up outside employment to support the family at home often worry about their financial stability should a divorce occur. What many other states call alimony is spousal maintenance in taxes. Spousal maintenance involves a court order requiring one spouse to pay the other funds every month because of a diff ..read more