Family Law Attorneys Serving Fort Myers and Cape Coral
Divorce does not have to be a destructive process. Instead it can be a chance for a family to heal and find a new way of functioning that provides for everyone’s future roles and lets the rifts between members close so a more cooperative relationship can take place.
As family law attorneys, we often see the horrible effects the adversarial model has on families. Therefore, we have dedicated our law practice to finding alternatives and providing unique options that give families a stepping stone as they start this new chapter in their lives. We represent families in Ft. Myers and surrounding Florida communities, including Cape Coral. Call us at 239-215-4952 to learn more about alternatives to an adversarial divorce.
Time Sharing
Alternatives to an Adversarial Divorce
Collaborative divorce can provide the best transition for many families. Collaborative divorce is a method of marriage dissolution that offers clients:
- Privacy
- Convenience
- Fairness
- No court
Instead of damaging a family’s financial well-being and good will toward each other, the collaborative process promotes a restructured “healthy” family that continues to build the bonds that will be there forever, regardless of marital status, and protects those relationships from further injury.
Giving family members the ability to move forward with their lives in a positive way is the central focus of collaborative divorce. Children are not fought over or used as pawns in a cruel game of chess between parents. Instead, everyone works together to learn how to operate in this new family system.
Our law firm has been practicing problem-solving based family law since the early 1990s. We have seen the horrible effects the adversarial model has on families, and resolved to find alternatives to give families a better start on their new beginnings.
In addition to collaborative divorce, other problem-solving, client-centered divorce options include:
Cooperative divorce: This is a similar process to collaborative divorce, where the parties work together to solve their conflicts and restructure their family lives. The main difference between the two processes is that in cooperative divorce, if parties are unable to resolve their differences, their lawyers can continue to represent each of them in court.
Divorce mediation: All civil disputes that do not settle out of court are required to go through the mediation process in the state of Florida. Couples can begin with mediation and negotiate their decisions through this problem-solving process. The mediator does not act in the role of a lawyer and does not give legal advice, but will assist the parties as a neutral professional.
To Schedule a Consultation
Having an adversarial divorce is not the only way to end a marriage. You do have the option of working with your spouse to make your own decisions instead of letting lawyers and judges make them for you, leaving you dissatisfied with the outcome and dismayed at the financial and emotional expense. If you and your spouse cannot come to an agreement, we will provide strong and competent representation in court to bring your case to a successful resolution.
To find a way for your whole family to go beyond divorce in a more positive manner, call us at 239-215-4952 or complete our contact form.
Divorce Does Not Mean The End Of Your Family
Sheldon Finman has been a board certified family law mediator in Lee County since 1983, when he began his search for alternative methods of divorce resolution. In 1990, he and Judge Hugh E. Starnes created the Cooperative Divorce method in Lee County to provide a non-adversarial divorce option for his clients. Since then he has added Collaborative Divorce to his practice to help families transition from one form to the next with as little acrimony and pain as possible.
