In An Uncontested Divorce Atlanta Couples Can Save A Fortune

By Debra Johnson


There was a time when divorces used to cause shame and even social condemnation. Those days are long gone. Divorces have become an everyday event and numerous people have even married and separated several times. It remains sad, however, when the lives of children are torn asunder because their parents no longer get along together. It is even worse when the two partners separate in anger and recrimination. By agreeing to an uncontested divorce Atlanta couples can keep the entire affair low key.

Contested cases have many serious drawbacks. Firstly, such cases are heard in open court and all the court records are available for scrutiny by the public and the press. Then there is the cost of legal representation. Each partner will have to hire a separate lawyer and if they cannot agree on issues such as custody and the division of their assets, the case can become prohibitively expensive and time consuming.

Even when a separation is not contested there are still numerous loose threads to be tied up. Separating couples are often emotional and unable to communicate effectively. It is therefore advisable to still hire a professional to help the couple to reach agreement on all the relevant issues. However, only one professional will have to be paid.

When a couple agree to mediation it is not even necessary to hire the services of a lawyer. It is also legal to make use of a specially trained and licensed mediation counsellor. This course of action will be considerably cheaper than the services of an attorney. It is vital, however, to hire an objective professional that will make sure that all the rights of each partner are honoured and that a fair agreement is hammered out.

There can be no doubt that mediation is a far superior solution than a contested case in open court. There are exceptions, however. In some cases, at least one of the partners refuse to be reasonable or to compromise. They may even be aggressive and abusive. In this type of case mediation cannot work. The only remaining option is to battle things out in court.

Sensible separating couples can limit their expenses even more by being reasonable. If they are willing to communicate with each other, discuss all the issues involved in the separation and privately agree on those issues, then they do not have to spend much time with the mediator. All the mediator will have to do is to make sure that the agreements reached between the two partners are legal and fair.

As soon as agreement on all issues is reached, the mediator will compile a legal agreement that will be submitted to the judge. If he is satisfied that all the requirements have been met, he will make the agreement into a court order and the divorce decree will be issued. The matter is handled in private and the couple do not have to attend any court proceedings.

When marriages fall apart it does not affect only the separating couple. Everyone around them is affected in some way. However, if it does not seem possible to save a marriage then the next best option is to at least make sure that the separation is without acrimony and crippling cost.




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