Collaborative Divorce Attorney Houston
Going through a divorce can be stressful and emotionally draining. It often involves courtroom appearances and financial obligations. Your most intimate problems are aired in the courtroom which is open to complete strangers. If you and your spouse/ partner desire privacy and dignity in the negotiating of your divorce or modification proceedings, consider collaborative divorce.
The Law Office Of Jennifer A. Broussard practices collaborative divorce law to help you get through the process of divorce as painlessly as possible. Attorney Broussard will Attorney Broussard will help you negotiate your settlement and see that your agreement is properly memorialized and enforceable after you and your spouse have reached an agreement on the child custody, child support or property division matters.
Your family law issues can be settled out of court. Contact The Law Office Of Jennifer A. Broussard today to speak with an experienced collaborative divorce attorney in Houston.
3 WORTHWHILE REASONS TO CHOOSE A COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE
1. Not every relationship ends with arguments that someone “wins.” Here are some key benefits of the collaborative divorce process:
Your entire case will be handled in the privacy of a lawyers conference room- total privacy and confidentiality
2. Information is exchanged in an unthreatening matter
3. There is a possibility that parties may experience reduced costs through the collaborative divorce process
You and your partner can reach an agreement in the privacy of a conference room while addressing the interests of all involved parties, including children. Learn more about collaborative divorce law in Houston, Texas.
Mediation Texas-style:
Though mediation is now a household word throughout the country, the way it is practiced in much of Texas and most assuredly in the counties in which I practice is anything but healing. What is referred to as “caucus style mediation” is brutal, confusing and devastating to clients because of the compressed time period during which negotiations are conducted and a “settlement” achieved (usually one day or less), the method used by the mediator in pushing parties toward settlement (each party being told how weak their cases are) and next morning’s shock of the irrevocable nature of the “agreement” reached; reached without time to reflect; reached while emotionally, intellectually and physically exhausted, and often while not fully comprehending the ramifications of their decisions; the parties are asked to sign a written outline of an agreement which is judicially irrevocable.
A Less Brutal Way:
I believe with all my heart that Collaborative Law is the better way because it allows participants to do what my husband and I did 1978, to walk away with personal dignity and respect for the other spouse with an agreement each can remain faithful to because each party knowingly participated in its construction. I urge any couple who, having decided that the marriage is at an end, wants to avoid expending the equivalent of the cost of a child’s college education or a significant portion of one’s retirement account on litigation to consider Collaborative Law. Without regard to money, I urge any couple who, having decided that the marriage is at an end, desires to move into their new lives with self-respect and respect for one’s former spouse to consider the Collaborative Law alternative.
No End to the Pain:
Divorce is not easy and the collaborative way does not take away the pain of participation in the death of a relationship. What it does do is avoid the additional emotional and financial carnage which the litigation process imposes on all involved. When you’re dealing with the emotional stress of family law matters, you need a knowledgeable attorney by your side. The Law Office Of Jennifer A. Broussard keeps your best interests in mind so you can focus on the future. She will walk you through each step of the legal process so you can reach a resolution and move on.
Not every family law matter involves pitched arguments and orders from a judge. Attorney Broussard will assist you with family law agreements and collaborative divorce proceedings. Jennifer A. Broussard will help you negotiate your best possible outcome in your premarital, postnuptial, partition, separation, or cohabitation agreement with your future spouse, your spouse or your partner and his/ her attorney.
Attorney Jennifer Broussard has been in practice since 1985. She’s the sole practitioner in her firm, so you’ll work with her from start to finish of your case. She works with men and women who are struggling to deal with family law matters in the Houston, TX area, including communities in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties.
I Still Litigate Where Necessary:
That having been said, Collaborative Law is not for every case. No matter how conciliatory, honest, forthcoming and reasonable one spouse may be, if the other spouse is not like-minded and committed to the avoidance of aggressive, pugnacious behavior and having dirty linen aired in public, then the case should not be handled collaboratively. In that event, my 30+ years of litigation experience remains intact and available to my clients.
The litigation process generally happens in three phases:
Phase One: Temporary Orders including;
● Temporary Restraining Orders
● Mediation of temporary issues
● Hearing on Temporary Orders, if mediation fails
● Preparation and entry of Temporary Orders for Judge’s signature.
Phase Two: Discovery – the gathering of information about the case including:
● Sending and responding to discovery such as:
● Interrogatories
● Request for Production and Inspection of Tangible Things
● Rule 194 Requests for Disclosure
● Local Rule Required Disclosures
● Requests for Admissions
● Taking of oral depositions of people
● Taking of depositions on the written question of non-parties who maintain records relevant to the case – banks, investment institutions, retirement plans, credit card companies, etc.
Phase Three: Trial Preparation and Trial including:
● Analysis of all the data gathered
● Preparation of a Sworn Inventory and Appraisement
● Development of a mediation and trial strategy
● Mediation on final orders
● Preparation of trial exhibits
● Trial on the merits, if mediation fails
● Preparation and entry of a Final Order for the Judge’s signature
● Preparation of ancillary documents including:
● Court/State required forms
● Documents pertaining to real estate, vehicles, retirement plans, HIPAA releases, child travel notices/consents, transfers of business or other ownership interests, etc.