Collaborative Divorce: Negotiating Parenting Issues and Child Support
Children in a divorce case can make the divorce more challenging and more emotional. The Collaborative Divorce Process offers a more amicable and efficient way to handle parental responsibility, time-sharing and child support issues. Here’s how to use Collaborative Divorce to effectively work through child related decisions.
Utilizing a Neutral Facilitator
In the Collaborative Divorce Process, a neutral Facilitator, usually a mental health professional with family experience, plays a significant role. From the outset, you and your spouse will meet with the Facilitator to discuss parenting issues. This approach saves money because you won’t have two attorneys present in these meetings, reducing legal fees.
The Facilitator will help you work out as many parenting issues as possible, ideally the entire Parenting Plan. This plan includes all the details of time-sharing and parental responsibility. Once the Facilitator prepares the plan, you and the attorneys will review it, provide feedback, and help you finalize it. When children’s issues are resolved quickly and efficiently, it allows you to focus on other aspects of your divorce.
Financial Calculations for Child Support
Child support calculations in a Collaborative Divorce are straightforward and based on a financial formula. A neutral Financial Professional will gather information about your and your spouse’s income and expenses, including budgets and medical insurance costs.
In Florida, child support is determined using a mathematical formula. This formula considers the net monthly income of each parent (gross income minus taxes and medical insurance costs) and the number of overnights each parent has with the children. There are inexpensive programs available to help calculate child support, making the process quick and efficient.
Benefits of Collaborative Divorce
The Collaborative Divorce Process makes decisions related to parenting, time-sharing and support easier and more efficient. By having experts gather and analyze the necessary information, you can resolve these issues quickly because you have the information you need to make intelligent decisions. Some attorneys might want to hold back issues as negotiating tools, but in a Collaborative Divorce, the focus is on resolving matters efficiently and moving forward.
Once an issue is resolved, there is no need to discuss it again unless something changes. This efficiency ensures that you and your spouse can address other important aspects of the divorce without unnecessary delays.
Conclusion
Parenting, time-sharing and child support issues during a divorce can be daunting. However, the Collaborative Divorce Process provides a more amicable and efficient way to resolve these matters. By utilizing neutral Facilitators and Financial Professionals, you can work through these issues quickly and with less stress.
Contact the Law Offices of Robert J. Merlin
If you’re considering a Collaborative Divorce and want to ensure a smooth and efficient process, contact Robert J. Merlin at (305) 448-1555 to schedule a consultation. His expertise in collaborative law, can help you navigate the complexities of child custody and support, ensuring the best outcome for you and your children.
The law office of Robert J. Merlin, P.A. is located at 250 Catalonia Avenue, Suite 706, Coral Gables, FL 33134.
Bob Merlin is a Florida Bar Board Certified Family Law Specialist, he practices in the areas of divorce, time-sharing of children and parenting plans, child support, alimony, paternity, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, and cohabitation/partnership agreements.
As an experienced Collaborative attorney, Bob continually hones his skills in the Collaborative Process and trains other professionals how to become a Collaborative professional as he is.
“My goal is to help divorcing and other family law clients make well-informed decisions so they experience a more efficient process and feel more in control over their futures.”
