Blog Posts in May, 2014

Avoid these celebrity mistakes by creating and updating your Estate Plan!

Celebrity news can often seem like a lot of false and meaningless gossip, but every once in the while we can find something valuable hidden within it. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, an actor who tragically died of a drug overdose earlier this year, has been making headlines again but this time for his estate planning. In his estate, Hoffman made certain plans for his daughter, naming guardians, ...

Examples of Grace During Divorce

At Alternative Divorce Solutions, we work with couples who are from all walks of life. We help couples in short term marriages, and very long term marriages. We also have clients who are divorcing for a variety of different reasons. These reasons range from financial difficulty to infidelity and cover all of the bases in between. No matter how many couples I work with, I am always amazed at the ...

Divorce When a Business is Involved

When you own a business with a partner, your divorce will impact that person too. Of course, if you have a carefully crafted Premarital Agreement along with a solid shareholder agreement, your path will be much easier. If you don’t however, you may need to be prepared for a complicated road ahead. At Alternative Divorce Solutions, we believe that mediation can remove a lot of the risks that go ...

The Importance of Premarital Agreements for Business Owners

Believe it or not, a business partnership can be similar to a marriage in many ways. You have to make decisions together, communicate, and respect each other’s opinions on everything. Also, when you decide to commit to a business partnership, there is an understanding that there is going to be a long term commitment. In light of the importance of this commitment, many business partners enter into ...

The Importance of Honesty in Divorce Mediation

Divorce mediation is a wonderful tool for couples who want to end their marriage in a respectful and cost effective way. At Alternative Divorce Solutions, we like to think that divorce mediation is well suited for almost everyone. However, there are some exceptions. For example, if there has been domestic violence in the relationship, divorce mediation may not be a viable option. In addition, if ...

Timing Your Divorce When Children Are Involved

As a divorce mediator, I get asked a lot of questions that I would consider to be “outside of the box.” Typically, my skill set involves providing legal information, while assisting my clients in a peaceful, amicable divorce negotiation. Sometimes, however, I get questions that have a more personal feel. One of those questions is whether it is better to get a divorce when a couple’s children are ...

Maintaining Resilience Through your Divorce: Relying on One's Own Inner Moral Compass

By the time you start contemplating divorce, you have likely felt every negative emotion towards your partner in the book – hurt, anger, hate, frustration. It is unlikely you decided divorce at the stage where you haven’t been emotionally wounded. When facing the breakdown of a relationship it is easy to feel victimized and blame the other party. However, with moral courage you can carve a new ...