“If you spend your time hoping someone will suffer the consequences for what they did to your heart, then you’re allowing them to hurt you a second time in your mind” – Shannon L. Alder
Divorce, custody, maintenance cases have been on a rise for the past few years. It means that people are accepting the fact that there is no point in staying together when they are unable to stay amicably with each other. These processes can be a very grueling experience as it drains out the energy of not only the person whose case it is but also of the family members of either party.
At the same time the timeframe of these cases is frustrating and traumatic for both the parties. Divorce and related issues of custody and maintenance is ranked at the top of the list of stressful events in one's life. However, Settlement Meetings have one purpose - to effect a settlement of the outstanding legal issues involving the clients. Through 16 years of practice in these cases we have started initiating ‘Settlement Conference’ between two married couple having marital disputes.
It is less time consuming Both the parties can share their expectations openly Such settlement are more “client centered” Both the parties get to decide their terms Both the parties do not have to engage in blame games but rather think of a way ahead to settle the dispute It is cheaper than fighting a case for years together One lawyer can handle the case for both the parties and hence the clients save the cost
Ultimately when the settlement cannot happen the option to litigate is always open. Hence we strive to settle when reasonable and litigate when necessary
When either of the party approaches us and agrees to settle through mutual consent we call the other party We ask the other party whether they are willing to settle through mutual consent We give them time to decide if required We fix a mutually convenient date to meet Generally we advice the client to think of the way ahead We facilitate the process of ‘settlement’ by suggesting various feasible options We help in drawing the parenting plan where children are involved We draft the mutual consent terms and also help in completing the court process We keep the process between both the parties very transparent
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong but sometimes it is letting go.” – Hermann Hesse