Blog

A Better Divorce Option To Protect Special Needs Children

There are additional considerations when divorce involves a special needs child. Special needs children often require financial support and long-term solutions beyond the typical cut-off age of 18. And even though parents of special needs children hope for the best and that their children will be able to live on their own, they should plan for the worst.

Read More

3 Tips to Successfully Co-Parent with an Ex

If you’re a separated or divorced parent, I know how difficult it can be – especially when it comes to successfully, and respectfully, co-parenting with your former partner. In addition to being a Collaborative Divorce attorney, I also have personal experience as a mother of five with two separate parenting agreements. As a trained co-parenting coach, here are my top three tips for a successful experience with your parenting partner:

Read More

The Slamming Doors of Divorce Negotiation (and How to Avoid Them)

The benefits of Collaborative Divorce can be difficult for clients to appreciate in advance. Seeing and appreciating how a joint problem-solving negotiation differs from adversarial and transactional negotiation in substance and result is far easier in retrospect. 

Read More

Protecting Your Privacy with Collaborative Law

Accessing public records in court files is getting easier in North Carolina with the introduction of a new online eCourt system. This software and technology infrastructure improvement will transition the state’s court system from paper to digital.  However, the eCourt system opens the door for any member of the public to easily access court records and documents at their fingertips. This brings up privacy concerns, especially for sensitive cases within family law and divorce.

Read More

The Difference between Mediation and Collaborative Divorce

Mediation and Collaborative Divorce are two ways divorcing couples can choose to resolve conflict. Each process offers a way to keep you out of court. They are, however, very different. How do you know which option makes the most sense for you and your family? 

Read More

IACP and Collaborative Practice Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Collaborative Practice is truly changing the world for the better and that’s one of many reasons why this conflict resolution method and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Read More

Holiday Co-Parenting Tips: Who, What, and When

Navigating holidays in a divorce can be stressful at a time when everyone just wants to relax and enjoy themselves. Holidays often have deep emotional roots and figuring out how to handle them in a divorce can create emotional disagreements. To enjoy holidays as much as possible during and after a divorce, follow these tips about the Who, the What, and the When:

Read More

The True Costs of Divorce – It’s Not Just About Money

Divorce is often thought of in terms of its legal and financial costs. And it’s true, divorce can be costly. However, the emotional costs of a contentious divorce can be equally, if not more, devastating. Divorce can also take a toll on one’s self-esteem and sense of self-worth. The end of a marriage can lead to feelings of loneliness, anxiety, depression, and grief. And these feelings are not only experienced by the divorcing spouses. The children and extended family will be affected as well.

Read More

How to Stay Out of Court with Collaborative Family Law

In honor of October, which is Conflict Resolution Month, we want to take this opportunity to raise awareness for alternative dispute resolution processes in North Carolina such as Collaborative Family Law, which keep families out of court. It is part of our mission to provide clients with a healthy and respectful alternative to family law litigation.

Read More

Our Top Recommended Podcasts to Get You Through Divorce

NC-CAN member attorneys often recommend podcasts to their clients. These free audio resources are filled with useful information that’s not only relatable but also helpful and inspiring. Some of our member attorneys have hosted or been guests on divorce-related podcasts to share their insight into the Collaborative Law process. We put together a list of some of our favorite podcasts that our member attorneys often share with their clients as they experience separation, divorce, and co-parenting.

Read More

Ode to the Collaborative Divorce Process

As a daughter, I have forgiven, processed and mourned the loss of my foundation, my relationship with my father, my family as I knew it, my childhood home, my support system, and everything else that was destroyed during the divorce. I have forgiven my father, but as a daughter, the void in my heart remains.

Read More

Virtual Divorce in North Carolina Through the Collaborative Process

Virtual divorces have now become part of our “new normal” in the Collaborative Law field. Here are several reasons why you and your spouse may consider choosing a virtual divorce with an NC-CAN member attorney.

Read More

Co-Parenting After Divorce

Co-parenting after divorce can be a challenge, but it is definitely doable if both parents are willing to put in the effort. In this blog post, we will discuss some tips for making co-parenting work for your family. It is important to remember that every family is different, so you will need to find a system that works best for you. These tips should help get you started!

Read More

Collaborative Law: An Emotionally Intelligent Way to Divorce

Divorce often has the stereotype of being a combative and emotionally draining process that takes a long time and costs a lot of money. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. With the option of collaborative law in North Carolina, divorce doesn’t have to be destructive or exhausting.

Read More

Seeing Both Sides of the Paddle

How might we come to a greater answer if we were able to see each of the sides? When kitchen table conversations about your separation devolve but you don’t want to lose privacy or control of the resolution, Collaborative Divorce and Mediation are excellent options.

Read More

Our 10 Favorite Books that Explain Divorce to Children

When families experience divorce, our member attorneys often get questions about materials and resources that can help their children through the process. We understand that this can be a difficult and confusing time, so we suggest explaining divorce to children through storytelling. This can be done in a variety of ways, but we have seen great success through children’s books.

Read More

Saving Time and Money

When it comes to divorce, it’s important to know that you have process options. While a traditional divorce through litigation has been the most common proceeding for decades, a newer divorce model is creating much-needed change. Collaborative divorce is becoming more popular not only in North Carolina and across the nation, but also internationally – and for good reason.

Read More

Planning Your Divorce

One of the core tenets of my practice is that people need to be very thoughtful and very intentional about how they are going to go through the divorce process. If they don’t want a big nasty fight, then they need to take the steps necessary to avoid a big nasty fight. If they want to fight, so be it; that can be a valid choice. But that needs to be an intentional choice, not something you fall in to.

Read More

A Quick Primer on the Collaborative Divorce Process

Founding member and Board Certified Family Law Specialist Ashley Michael from Wilmington provides a three-minute primer on what we do and how we do it: https://craigeandfox.com/recent-articles/family-and-juvenile-law/245-a-different-model-of-divorce-collaboration

Read More

Small Businesses in Divorce

Couples that own a small business need divorce solutions that don’t kill the Golden Goose.  Springfield Collaborative Divorce addresses the very first steps to protect the business in this blog post: https://springfieldcollaborativedivorce.com/creating-safe-space-splitting-business-divorce/

Read More

A Cautionary Tale from a Child of an Ugly Divorce

Here is a powerful story of what can happen when divorce and child custody spins out of control, from the blog of founding member Ashley-Nicole Russell: https://anrlaw.com/blog/living-a-life-of-love/

Read More