Collaborative Divorce Articles

Divorce is stressful and creates a variety of emotions. It takes time for everyone to adjust to their new normal and for children to acclimate living in two homes instead of one. I often tell parents, adults choose to divorce, children do not, it’s not their decision...

For most people, the divorce process is emotionally draining and mentally exhausting. Many people describe it as a time of being frozen, numb, or moving in slow motions. Despite that emotional and mental trauma, you will be expected to go through your finances with a...

Cynthia Barela Graham talks with Jason Boyett on the Hey Amarillo podcast about her unique style of law practice and her life in Amarillo. Listen to the podcast here: https://heyamarillo.com/cynthia-barela-graham The post Cynthia Barela Graham on the Hey Amarillo...

I have been providing business valuations, characterization analysis and financial services for divorcing couples for over thirty years in Central Texas. I often tell clients considering a divorce that I believe the Collaborative process is the better of the bad, when...

The role of custody evaluations in a divorce is to determine what is in the best interest of the children. A child custody evaluator will gather information from interviews with the family and also by gathering documentation, from the parties as well as other...

 When clients are considering their proposed visitation/possession schedule or residency restriction, whether they are preparing for negotiation, option building, or requested relief from a Court, there are certain overriding issues they should consider. Clients who...

The term ‘collaborative divorce’ can sound like an oxymoron- words that just don’t go together. Many people assume that divorce has to be contentious and adversarial, so the word ‘collaborative’ doesn’t seem to be realistic. How can a process that involves pain,...

In March of this year at the State Bar of Texas Annual Collaborative Law Conference I delivered the closing speech.  This was the third time in a row I was asked to be the last speaker at the Conference.  In 2020 I talked about The Power of Hope.  In 2021 I spoke on...

I recently lost a family member to cancer. Some people might not think of us as family, because he was my ex-husband. But because we divorced collaboratively, we were able to remain family from the very beginning of the divorce process up until I held his hand on his...

Divorce already takes an emotional, mental, and financial toll on the family. The current real estate market has added to that with increasing interest rates, declining house prices and diminishing values in certain asset accounts Nationwide, there’s a shortage of...

Many clients think they are savvy negotiators, but they often fail to understand how their behaviors and attitudes towards each other throughout any divorce process effects the end result.  What you and I see as common-sense negotiation tactics, are anything but that...

There is no doubt that going through a divorce is extremely stressful. It is much akin to death. It is, in fact, the death of a marriage and nothing hurts like losing someone you love whether it is due to death, divorce or the breakup of a non-marital relationship....

In the post-information age in which we live, we can literally find an answer to any question within seconds at the touch of a button or a question to Alexa. However, finding accurate and relevant information can be much more challenging, especially when it comes to...

At the beginning of the collaborative process all parties must sign an agreement that they will not go to court. As a result, if the process does not work, the attorneys must withdraw, and the parties must select new attorneys. In Dallas and Austin collaborative law...

Getting divorced (and doing it well) is an expensive task.If someone were to do the impossible task of removing all the emotional complexity out of, it would be a lot like dissolving a business partnership. You must decide how to disentangle and rearrange all these...

Although many of us consider our pets to be family members, the Texas Family Code still considers them to be property, for the purposes of a divorce.  If your pet was acquired, adopted or purchased during the marriage, most likely the pet is community property. That...

You and your spouse may want to consider a Collaborative Divorce if you own your own business. Why? 1. Minimize disruption of business operations. Sometimes when business owners are divorcing, the business’ employees will find out there is a pending divorce and then...

What a wonderful conference and one of the best parts was that we were all able to be face-to face with our lovely colleagues. The 2022 TexasBarCLE Collaborative Law: From Bush League to Big League conference was filled with exceptional presentations, fun activities,...