Years ago stationery stores carried racks of legal contracts such as leases, sales agreements, financial contracts and even divorce paperwork. The forms were boiler plate agreements with blanks left to be completed with your names, information and specific information. The internet now has similar forms available for downloads and customization.
Is a DIY divorce a good idea? Every divorce is different, every situation has it own quirks and twists. Divorce agreements are agreements that last forever and are very difficult to alter or change. Divorce is a more serious process than assembling a desk from IKEA, although sometimes the desk assembly can be pretty painful.
Mediation is a method to design and plan your own divorce settlement. Mediation clients have self determination and more control over outcomes. In many cases it can be a hybrid of DIY divorce and also include all the good and helpful elements of the legal system.
I help clients plan their divorce agreements, child custody arrangements, financial considerations and related concerns. Once both parties are comfortable with the agreements I refer them to attorneys who continue with the spirit of collaboration to review the agreements and prepare the paperwork for court and finalize the divorce.
Mediation clients have an opportunity for self determination and control in their divorce, almost always at a much more reasonable cost than traditional adversarial divorce.
Mediation allows parties to plan a hybrid DIY divorce, without all the extra parts or tiny screwdrivers.