Lake Travis Collaborative Divorce Lawyer

Top Rated Collaborative Divorce Attorney in Lake Travis, TX

It’s understandable to be concerned, confused, and even a bit scared about getting divorced. When your marriage began, it’s likely you never even considered divorce. Unfortunately, some marriages simply do not last. What’s important is how you choose to proceed with the divorce process. If you and your partner are on the same page about how to end the marriage, you may want to consider reaching out to a Lake Travis collaborative divorce lawyer for help.

Hire a Collaborative Divorce Lawyer

The legal team at Heinrich Christian, PLLC, recognizes how complicated a collaborative divorce case can be if you are unfamiliar with the process. Texas’s collaborative divorce laws require both spouses to participate together to reach a mutually beneficial divorce settlement. A Lake Travis collaborative divorce attorney can be an invaluable asset throughout this process. Our legal team has over two decades of combined experience helping clients with their divorces.

Let Us Know What We Can Do To Help You

Schedule A Consultation

The Collaborative Divorce Process in Texas

If collaborative divorce fails and you proceed with divorce litigation in Lake Travis, your case is handled in the Travis County District Court, particularly the Family Division. This court can be found at the Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility on Guadalupe Street in nearby Austin. While the Texas marriage rate is 49%, the divorce rate remains at 2.1 per 1,000 people. The collaborative divorce process can be easier to navigate and much cheaper than litigation.

A collaborative divorce is a viable option for couples looking to end their marriage but who aren’t hostile towards one another. Throughout the process, the intention is to settle every element of your divorce together, including child custody, parenting plans, alimony, asset division, and child support. You need to hire a collaborative divorce lawyer to spearhead the process and prevent costly mistakes. Here is an overview of how the process works in Texas:

• Participation agreement. The first thing you do in a collaborative divorce is sign a legally binding participation agreement. This agreement outlines the rules for the legal discussion to come. Most importantly, it dictates the terms of a potential breakdown. If the collaborative divorce process breaks down, each spouse is required to fire their legal counsel and start over with new lawyers for litigation.
• Building the team. A unique element of a collaborative divorce is the multidisciplinary team that helps you work through the various elements of your divorce. You have your collaborative divorce attorneys who are working together, but you also have a neutral financial advisor to help untangle debts and assets and a neutral mental health professional to help manage emotions and assist in making parenting plans.
• Four-way sessions. Instead of appearing before a judge to discuss the case, your team holds periodic meetings to provide a safe space for negotiating. Together, this team considers both spouses’ needs and works together to accommodate those needs as closely as possible. 
• Privacy and control. Throughout this process, you have complete and total privacy, unlike the public record of a courtroom trial. Collaborative divorces happen in closed attorney offices, and only the people involved in the process know what’s being said and done. Additionally, despite a team of professionals leading the discussion, both spouses have final say over every decision that’s made.
• Finalization. Once an agreement is reached on every factor you need to consider, the lawyers draft the settlement document. This document is then taken to a judge to sign. You may have to endure a brief, uncontested hearing. In a traditional litigated divorce, you can avoid the long, grueling, often backlogged scheduling of the court system.

FAQs

What Shouldn’t I Tell My Attorney in a Collaborative Divorce?

In a collaborative divorce, you should be completely honest with your attorney. They can’t do their job correctly if they don’t have all the facts. Be totally transparent about your financial situation, the cause of the divorce, and any other relevant information. Never tell your lawyer to hide assets, don’t ask them to lie or exaggerate, and don’t tell them to punish your spouse. This process is supposed to be collaborative.

What Are the Four Types of Collaborative Divorce?

There are four different ways to pursue a collaborative divorce. There’s the lawyer-only model, which doesn’t bring in outside professionals. There’s the collaborative mediation model, which pairs lawyers with a third-party mediator. There’s the neutral facilitator model, or team approach, which brings in additional team members to facilitate the process. Then there’s the two-coach model, which gives each spouse their own mental health coach on the team.

What Shouldn’t You Forget in a Divorce Settlement?

The divorce process, even a collaborative one, can involve a lot of constantly shifting information to consider. It’s common to forget to discuss important elements, but that forgetfulness can lead to serious financial and personal complications. Don’t forget to address hidden assets, future tax issues, changes to life insurance, and explicit co-parenting clauses. Your lawyer can help you make sure no stone is left unturned in your divorce settlement.

What Are the Five Rules of Effective Collaboration?

The five rules of effective collaboration are: Establish clear goals, maintain open communication, build trust and respect, define responsibilities, and promote accountability. All these rules are crucial to the success of a collaborative divorce. You need to know what you want. You need to be able to address it. You must trust your spouse to want the same thing. You need to make sure everyone is doing their job. You must ensure everyone is held accountable for mistakes.

Lake Travis Collaborative Divorce Lawyer

Getting divorced is not an easy process, even if you choose to go the collaborative route. You may still have significant resentment towards your spouse for the end of the marriage, and that’s okay. A collaborative divorce lawyer in Lake Travis can help you stay on track and end this cleanly without involving the court. 

At Heinrich Christian, PLLC, we can stand by your side, advocate for you, help you avoid mistakes, and provide support. Contact us today to speak with a valued team member about how we can help.