You have options when it comes to your separation and divorce. Here are the five most common ways. The Kitchen Table Approach Couples that communicate well can often work out a convenient parenting plan for their children, make lists of their assets and debts, and determine how to divide them fairly. Sometimes, they will draw up a simple separation agreement.…
Many people ask us what they need to do or file to become legally separated from their spouse. In North Carolina, there is no document that must be signed or filed for you to become legally separated. You are legally separated when you no longer live with your spouse. At least one of you must also intend for your separation…
Couples in complex and challenging circumstances can use marital mediation to preserve and strengthen their relationships. Couples in challenging circumstances that are causing stress on their relationships can restore harmony using marital mediation. Issues arise from time to time in every marriage. They may involve finances, in-law relationships, caring for elderly or disabled family members, negotiating family responsibilities, dealing with…
Divorce is one of the most stressful life experiences some people will endure. The prolonged and complicated nature of the process, coupled with the strong emotions that the process evokes, can lead to burnout. Burnout is more than ordinary stress and tiredness. Burnout is exhaustion with a strong sense of powerlessness. Left unchecked, it can cause frustration, withdrawal, procrastination, overload,…
We recommend that couples have the agreements they reach in mediation reviewed by attorneys and written into a contract called a separation and property settlement agreement. Most mediators will provide a written summary of agreements. But a summary is not a contract and may not be enforceable if one side doesn’t live up to her or his end of the bargain and…
Recently, we have seen an increase in parents willing to try an arrangement called "nesting." This is a joint physical custody arrangement. The parents rotate in and out of the children's home according to a schedule rather than shuffling the children between homes. In the most common variant, the parents take turns residing in the former marital residence with the…