How To Have An Amicable Divorce
At Song Family Law, APLC, I help divorcing or separating couples with answering a difficult question: “who should help mediate my divorce?”
First, you should use a licensed attorney who has experience with divorce and the mediation process. An unlicensed attorney cannot provide the proper guidance to ensure a fair and equitable resolution. Second, you should use an experienced family law attorney who knows how courts will determine child support, spousal support and property division. If an attorney is never/rarely in court, how do they know? They don’t.
Uncontested Divorce
You don’t have to go to court to get divorced. If both parties agree on all issues, you can have an attorney put together all the forms and draft an enforceable agreement. Here is where a flat-fee arrangement works well. Negotiate with an attorney to complete your uncontested divorce. If you use a paralegal or document preparation service, it is likely that issues will be missed and judgments could get rejected, or worse your judgment can get set aside months or years later because of a legal mistake made by the nonattorney who prepared your judgment. If you want to go with a nonattorney because of costs, consider that an experienced family law attorney may not charge that much more than the nonattorney you are thinking of hiring.
You’ve Agreed On Most Issues
When there is disagreement on only a few issues, mediation can still be a great option. Getting a third-party neutral to lay out the facts and the likelihood of what an Orange County court would order can help you resolve those final disputed issues.
You can hire an experienced family law attorney on a flat-fee basis to help both parties navigate the contested issue. You can also engage in an hourly fee arrangement and monitor your billing to keep costs down.
Mediation Done Right
Mediation is a useful alternative to creating your own divorce and child-related settlement agreements. Mediation done right can result in long-lasting arrangements made outside of the courtroom. For legal counsel and advice, you may contact my law firm in Mission Viejo or Orange online or call me at 888-999-0259.