All marriages go through tough times. It is an inevitable experience that most couples will face at one point or another in their relationship. However, the question is not if you will experience conflict but how you will deal with it when it comes.
Some couples can weather the storms and come out stronger on the other side, while others find that the conflict is too much to bear, and their marriage ends in divorce. If you find yourself in a situation where conflicts in your marriage are causing problems, here are some legal options available to help resolve those conflicts:
Marriage Counseling
One of the best things you can do to work through marital conflict is to seek professional counseling. A trained therapist can help you and your spouse communicate more effectively, identify the root cause of your dispute, and develop a plan to resolve it.
Marriage counseling can be expensive, but many couples find it a worthwhile investment. You can usually find a therapist who offers sliding-scale fees or accepts insurance, which can help offset the cost. Depending on your and your partner’s schedules, you may be able to attend counseling sessions together or separately.
If you decide to go the counseling route, choose a therapist who is a good fit for you and your spouse. It’s essential that you feel comfortable with the therapist and that he or she has experience treating couples with similar issues. Working with a professional can teach you the tools you need to resolve conflicts and improve your marriage.
Divorce Mediation
Mediation is a good option if you decide that you would like to end your marriage but want to avoid going to court. In mediation, you and your spouse will meet with a neutral third party or parties to try to agree on the terms of your divorce.
A reliable divorce mediation process will help you and your spouse communicate with each other and will give you both the opportunity to be heard. The mediator will also provide information and advice to help you make informed decisions about your divorce. Divorce mediation can also be an excellent way to resolve custody and visitation issues if you have children. It can help you come to agreements on child support and property division.
In many cases, mediation will allow you and your spouse to maintain some control over the outcome of your divorce, which can be helpful if you have disagreements about significant decisions. This way, you can avoid the stress and expense of going to court.
Collaborative Law
You may want to consider collaborative law if you and your spouse have difficulty communicating and working together to resolve your conflict. In collaborative law, each spouse hires an attorney and agrees to work together to resolve the issue outside of court. This option can be less adversarial than traditional divorce proceedings and may be less costly.
Many couples find that collaborative law is an excellent way to agree on the terms of their divorce. It can help both parties avoid going to court and give you more control over the outcome of your divorce.
However, it’s important to note that not all attorneys are well-trained in collaborative law. If you’re interested in this option, ask your attorney if they are familiar with the process. If not, you may want to find an attorney who is. Doing so will help ensure that your collaborative law experience is positive and successful.
Arbitration
Another option for resolving marital conflict is arbitration. In arbitration, you and your spouse will each hire an attorney, and then you will meet with a third-party arbitrator who will try to resolve your dispute.
This option may be ideal if you and your spouse cannot work together cooperatively. That’s because the decision-making process is more formal than mediation or collaborative law. In an arbitration, the arbitrator is the one who makes the decision. So, it’s important to note that whatever the arbitrator’s decision is, it is final and binding. In that case, you and your spouse must agree to accept whatever decision the arbitrator makes.
Arbitration can be less expensive than going to court, and it can be faster as well. It can also provide more privacy than going to court since arbitrations are not public proceedings. Thus, if you want to keep your marital conflict private, arbitration may be a good option.
When marital conflict leads to problems, legal options are available to help resolve those conflicts. The above are all effective ways to help married couples work through their differences without taking drastic measures. If you are experiencing marital conflict, consider one of these legal options to get your marriage back on track.
