Legal Expert

Mediation

If you’re going through a divorce, you’re facing many important decisions that will significantly affect your future. While you naturally want your divorce to go as smoothly as possible, many couples come up against difficult decisions for which they can’t find middle ground – even with the aid of their respective Austin divorce attorneys. This does not mean that your divorce has to devolve into a contentious battle – in fact, divorce mediation is a great option.

The Major Divorce Decisions

While every divorce is unique to the people involved, the major decisions that every couple needs to contend with remain the same:

• Child Conservatorship Arrangements – A divorcing couple who shares children generally prioritizes those decisions related to child custody (called conservatorship in Texas) arrangements. Child conservatorship is divided into decision-making authority and physical time with your child, and both can be either sole or joint. Decision-making relates to who takes on the responsibility of making important decisions on behalf of the children, and physical conservatorship refers to whom the children live with (and on what schedule). The courts always base their decisions that relate to child conservatorship on what is in the best interest of the children, and except in extreme situations, the court finds that children fare best when they spend time with both parents.
• Division of Community Property – In the State of Texas, the property that you and your spouse acquire as a married couple (regardless of who makes the purchase) is community property that should be divided in a manner that is fair (under the given circumstances) upon divorce. Because this division has such serious financial implications for your future, it can lead to serious conflict when it comes to making related decisions.
• Child Support – All parents are financially responsible for helping to support their children, and child support is the tool the state uses to help make this happen. Child support is typically based on a state calculation process, but the court can have discretion in the matter.
• Alimony – Alimony is also known as spousal maintenance, and while it doesn’t play a role in every divorce, when one divorcing spouse has a financial need, and the other has greater financial means, alimony can help balance the discrepancy.If you and your divorcing spouse simply can’t come to an agreement on any one (or more) of these important decisions, divorce mediation can help.

At Mediation

Divorce mediation is a private process, and this means that the associated records will not be made public, and couples who value privacy typically find this beneficial. At mediation, a mediator – a neutral third-party with professional meditation experience – will help you and your divorcing spouse explore your options and, when successful, hammer out compromises that you can both sign off on.

Consult with an Experienced Austin Divorce Attorney Today

If you are facing divorce concerns, Chris Philley at Philley Law in Austin is a dedicated divorce attorney with impressive experience helping clients like you successfully navigate the mediation process. To learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.