Personalized Attention ~ Experienced Advice

Divorce | Family Law | Adoption | Personal Injury

Online divorce may not be all it’s cracked up to be

On Behalf of | Apr 10, 2014 | Divorce Mediation |

There will always be ideas and offers out there to try to make divorce “simpler.” While it’s true that certain divorces can be made simpler if they use certain processes, such as mediation or alternative conflict resolution, what we mean by “simpler” in this case is a very quick divorce with little paperwork.

That sounds great, doesn’t it? Except that is usually is a lie, or it ends up not benefitting one of the spouses, or even both spouses. Divorce is a complicated matter with a lot of factors at play, and every case is unique. You can’t just speed through this process. You have to take your time with it and approach every issue appropriately. You may be able to expedite the divorce by going through mediation, but it will still take some time to complete.

Ultimately, we are talking about this because the world of divorce has been taken online. People are filing divorces on their own, trying to skip a few steps and speed up their split. However, this strategy is fraught with danger. Without an attorney on your side, you could miss some critical information regarding financial obligations and liabilities. You may miss certain assets that your spouse has that you may be entitled to, at least partially.

In addition, online divorce is often a cookie-cutter approach that doesn’t leave any room for nuance or extenuating circumstances. For example, what about child custody and support? How is an online divorce supposed to account for all of the complex dynamics and emotional factors that go into such an important issue? It may take a little bit longer, but going through a divorce with an attorney will ensure your rights are protected and that the issues related to your divorce are handled appropriately.

Source: Huffington Post, “Divorce Is Not a One-Size-Fits-All Business, So Why Do It Online?,” Brendan Lyle, April 8, 2014

Archives