Collaborative Law Divorce and Divorce Mediation

Collaborative Law Divorce and Divorce Mediation are two distinct methods for separating spouses to maintain control in difficult circumstances. The recent announcement that Microsoft’s genius billionaire, Bill Gates, and Melinda, his wife of 27 years, are divorcing makes me think about several aspects of the divorce process where emotions and law intersect.

The Gates are one of the wealthiest and most famous couples on the planet. Absolutely they will use, or have already completed, some method of negotiation that keeps details and resolutions out of the spotlight – and out of the courts. This is what Collaborative Law Divorce and Divorce Mediation can do for any divorcing couple.

Collaborative Law Divorce, where both parties hire specially trained attorneys and sign an agreement to stay out of court, immediately returns a sense of power over the situation. Divorce Mediation, where both parties together hire one mediator to help them talk over difficult financial and legal details, is also private. Both are processes engineered to enhance negotiation to arrive at an agreement each party can feel is fair – and can file confidentially with the court, away from prying eyes.

Divorce for the very wealthy is still divorce, with all its heartache and misery. The Gates, already familiar with the constant glare of media interest, will have to negotiate both their emotions and their estate in full public view.

If you are divorcing, this is likely true for you as well. Accounting for the financial changes that have occurred over a long marriage can seem daunting. But with either Collaborative Law or Divorce Mediation, you can conduct these discussions in private, with expert advice, and with your dignity intact.

Call my office at 215-345-5259 for a free initial consult and I can help you decide if Collaborative Law Divorce or Divorce Mediation can help alleviate your situation.

-Elissa C. Goldberg, Esquire