- Turn marital conflict into lasting solutions
If someone casually approached you at the mall and asked you if you preferred dispute resolution or conflict resolution, how might you answer?
Probably something like “get away from me you big weirdo!”
It is an interesting question however, and one I never quite considered in the way described in an interesting article by Seattle, WA collaborative divorce lawyer J. Mark Weiss concerning the differences between dispute resolution and conflict resolution. The article, posted on Mark’s blog, is a reminder about the differences between just getting through your divorce, versus actually resolving some of the underlying conflict and learning to manage conflict going forward in a better way.
The article discusses another positive aspect of divorce mediation or collaborative divorce for couples – whether they reside in Seattle or the Medfield or Franklin, MA area. As explained nicely by Attorney Weiss, divorcing couples that have a traditional court-based divorce may be setting themselves up for additional post-divorce conflict and continued court hearings; whereas couples that actually learn to resolve conflict by taking advantage of divorce mediation or the collaborative divorce process are less likely to have trouble after the divorce is final.
Of course, the unfortunate instance can occur when one party sees the clear benefits of a less-adversarial process, yet his or her spouse is unwilling to consider such options. In this situation, the case will have to go the way of the traditional litigation process.
At The Divorce Collaborative LLC of Medway, MA (with satellite offices to serve those in the Bedford and Attleboro, MA areas, we believe it is important to offer clients all three options when it is time to make the important decision as to what process should be utilized to complete a Massachusetts divorce, whether it is a contested divorce, divorce mediation, or a collaborative divorce. If you are contemplating ending your marriage, it is best to have the discussion about what process to use with your spouse as early as possible.
It may save you a lot of stress and money and help protect your children during and after divorce.
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I love the distinction between dispute resolution and conflict resolution. I hadn’t exactly thought about it, but certainly conflict resolution is what people really want! My sentiments exactly. Thanks for spreading this word!