Divorce is a difficult experience for men and women, financially and mentally. Top family lawyers Family Lawyers Perth suggest that in addition to being emotionally stressful, divorce proceedings are typically driven by negativity, resentment and anger as opposed to reliable judgment and rational decision-making. Failure to agree on issues and acrimonious interactions result in lengthy, costly and tense court battles that seem to drag on forever.
Bitter and caustic divorces have a long-term impact on your financial health and couples may experience the adverse consequences long after the legal battle is over. High lawyer fees, steep court costs and other expenses result will make a huge dent in your hard-earned money. However, the good news is that divorcing couples need not undergo such stressful and prolonged legal proceedings. By adopting a synergistic and collaborative approach, they can resolve their issues, work out settlements to mutual satisfaction and move on with their lives.
Every relationship and marriage is different and consequently, every divorce is also different in terms of financial resources, settlements, sentiments and other requirements. Over the last decade, women have established their role as breadwinners; unfortunately, their role is still secondary to men due to various factors.
Many times, women who have been involved in raising children and looking after the home may be considered secondary to their spouses who may have gone out to earn. A competent family lawyer will help you obtain your rightful entitlement under Australian law while minimising unnecessary costs.
Stressful divorce proceedings can result in the following consequences:
- Unreliable judgement driven by emotion and anger rather than reason
- Long term financial implications
- Reduction in family finances
- Increased expenditure on legal costs, lawyer’s fees and so on
According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, divorce proceedings have an adverse impact on the financial resources of separated spouses for several years after the divorce. When proceedings are confrontational in nature, the process will nibble away at the assets of both parties.
The couple can apply for a divorce together (in which case they are known as ‘joint applicants’) or by one spouse in which case the other spouse is the respondent. There are two practical options that help couples reduce divorce costs and work towards an amicable solution.
One solution is hiring a mediator to help you communicate positively with your partner in order to resolve issues. A mediator is a neutral person (without bias towards any one of the parties) who helps the applicants discuss their issues in a collaborative manner. The other solution is to hire legal counsel who will help the parties reach an out-of-court settlement. This usually proves to be less expensive and more expeditious rather than long drawn legal wrangles.
