Dear Friend,

Welcome to the February 2009 edition of our email newsletter for people interested in the cooperative divorce process. Please join us as we discuss the challenges of divorce related stress, the assumption that you can't afford a divorce, and the option of keeping your personal divorce information out of the public record.

The Challenge of Change—Managing Divorce Related Stress

Our culture is full of clichés about change. They are repeated to us from the time we are children, and become ingrained into our vocabulary. We tend to pay good lip service to the idea that when change happens in our lives, we will be ready for its challenges. However, we are often not as well prepared for the challenge change presents as we think we are. More often than not, that challenge is stress. Whether the change is good or bad, hard or easy, voluntary or forced upon us, there is an inherent level of stress in every change we face. Nowhere is that more evident than in the challenges and changes put upon a person and a family by the dissolution of a marriage.

(Read more of this article>>)

This is an article I found by an Alabama attorney written a few years ago but still relevant. Although Shaw-Anderson, LLC is a law firm in Alabama, the information is not state specific and is useful to people getting a divorce in Washington State. This article and similar information may be found at www.divorcenet.com. Keep in mind that not all information on this site is applicable in Washington State.

Think You Can’t Afford a Divorce?

Recent articles in the Wall Street Journal and Seattle Times seem to indicate that the number of divorces in the last year is significantly reduced – up to 20%.   Lawyers interviewed for these articles imply that people are staying together because they cannot afford a costly divorce.  It is true that couples today are not interested in spending thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on a divorce, but, they are not necessarily staying together.

My colleagues in the collaborative community are finding that couples are looking for more cost effective ways of untying the knot and are also looking at creative solutions for resolving financial issues.  We find our clients need us now more than ever.

(Read more of this article>>)

Privacy Concerns in a Divorce

At one time divorce files could be “sealed” so that no one other than the parties or their attorney could look at the files. That is no longer. Divorce files are public record and available to anyone with or without a legitimate purpose according to the Freedom of Information laws. In many places the files are available on line or soon will be. The only way to keep such information from prying eyes is to not have it in the record at all.

(Read more of this article>>)

We are happy to assist you with any questions you may have about the cooperative divorce process. Remember, "The success of a marriage should not be judged upon whether it lasts or ends but on how much growth it has afforded us." 

Sincerely,

Karin Quirk
Attorney at Law