Undergoing divorce? – How to emerge with a smile

If you’re going through a painful parting, the concept of a happy and successful divorce may appear beyond the realms of possibility when you feel that your world is collapsing around you.

While the importance of being able to call on someone of sound judgement during a breakup is invaluable, not everyone has a close, reliable network of family and friends to help them.

This is why we champion a holistic approach comprising suitably trained lawyers, life coaches and financial advisers (as the case requires). This specialist support group understands the grieving process and works as a team to help manage each part of the jig-saw in a vital planning process.

Being equipped with a professional network dramatically increases your chances of making the best decisions regarding your children – whose interests should always come first – and your future.

In our extensive experience, protracted court battles (litigation) over differences can result in the parties and their advisors losing sight of what they are trying to achieve.

With this in mind, a major step forward is co-operating and collaborating with your ex over life-changing decisions such as dividing your assets and working out a parenting plan.

We help ex-spouses to avoid a protracted, expensive and stressful court process through three tried and proven processes. The first is collaboration, which seeks to achieve a respectful and dignified resolution, putting any children at the heart of the process and keeping the details private.

We also recommend mediation where a mediator facilitates confidential and voluntary discussions between the parties and which usually culminates in a Memorandum of Understanding which records the agreement reached.

As a last resort, the third process which also avoids the court route is arbitration where an arbitrator, an experienced family lawyer, works with couples to reach a divorce settlement. Similar to a judge, they collect relevant facts and evidence and base their decision on this evidence – taking into account the views of both parties. The Award is final and binding in both parties.

Learning from the past, enlisting a professional support network and looking after yourself are instrumental in helping you to embark on the next chapter of your life.

For more information about collaboration, mediation, arbitration or any aspect of family law call Jones Myers on 0113 246 0055. Our highly experienced team includes founder Peter Jones, one of the UK’s top divorce lawyers and mediators and the first qualified arbitrator in Leeds and Norman Taylor who pioneered collaborative law in Yorkshire. You can also tweet us @helpwithdivorce