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The Changing Landscape of Divorce

By Lili A. Vasileff and Carl M. Palatnik
December 21, 2007

There are noticeable new trends in divorce that affect both the legal process and the financial strategies required to help clients move past it. These trends include: 1) an increased reliance on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods, including development of a new modality called collaborative divorce, which are gradually moving divorce out of the courtroom; 2) the continued evolution of the best interests of the child standard; 3) the alignment of antiquated statutes or cumbersome and complex case law with other states' laws; and 4) a greater realization that the divorce process is most effective when it utilizes an interdisciplinary team approach. These and other trends will radically affect how the divorce process will evolve in the future.

Divorce Mediation and Collaborative Law

The last several years have experienced an increasing application of ADR to the divorce process. The reasons for this are manifold, and include greater control of the process and its ultimate outcome, increased privacy, lower financial costs, more creative problem-solving opportunities, faster resolution of issues and reduced collateral damage to the family.

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