Hostile or litigated divorces, in contrast, are expensive both financially and emotionally, and can tend to poison any future relationship the parents may have, which may be important for future co-parenting. Fault grounds can be unpleasant enough when true, and may sometimes be falsely alleged, as may anything else that an unethical spouse can think of.

Non-adversarial methods of dispute resolution are less likely to add to the emotional trauma, and are better suited when an ongoing relationship is contemplated, such as for future parenting.

Mediation is a growing way of resolving divorce issues. It tends to be less adversarial (particularly important for any children), allows the parties greater control and privacy, saves money, and generally achieves similar outcomes to the normal adversarial process. Also, courts will often approve a mediated settlement quickly. Learn more about mediation with the st. louis divorce lawyer.

Similar in concept, but with more support than mediation, is Collaborative Law, where both sides are represented by attorneys but commit to negotiating a settlement without engaging in litigation. Because of the additional support of attorneys and expert neutrals, the success rate of a collaborative divorce is very high.

In the rare event that the collaborative divorce process ends without the parties reaching a settlement, the collaborative lawyers become disqualified, and are replaced by new counsel. The reasoning is that the collaborative lawyers' sole interest will be to settle the case; and lawyers who specialize in collaborative divorce will often have additional training and skills to assist parties to settle. Learn more about collaborative divorce from the st. louis divorce lawyer.

Non-court based dispute resolution approaches such as this may reduce the trauma of divorce for all parties. Some believe that mediation may not be appropriate for all relationships, especially those that included physical or emotional abuse, or an imbalance of power and knowledge about the parties' finances.

Collaborative divorce, because of its additional support for parties, is better equipped to handle relationships with a history of abuse. For more information about the non-adversarial approaches of divorces, then visit the st. louis divorce lawyer for more details.