Not every divorcing couple is unable to work together as they proceed through their divorce.  For that reason, the attorneys at Balisle & Roberson, S.C. practice both divorce litigation and cooperative divorce, an innovative approach to divorce that emphasizes civility in an effort to minimize financial and emotional cost. Divorce does not have to be an adversarial process. Cooperative divorce is an alternative to divorce litigation that emphasizes joint financial planning in an atmosphere that fosters civility and respect between parties and attorneys. Parties who wish to participate in cooperative divorce agree to cooperate in disclosing financial information, obtaining appraisals and expert opinions, and negotiating in good faith to reach a fair settlement without incurring the expense of going to trial. Cooperative divorce is very different from another alternative to divorce litigation called collaborative divorce. In collaborative divorce, parties who are unable to reach agreement despite their best efforts must terminate the proceeding and find new counsel, in essence starting over from scratch at great expense and loss of energy and time. In cooperative divorce – the alternative to divorce litigation that Balisle & Roberson, S.C. practices – if the cooperative attempt fails, both parties may retain their original attorneys and proceed to litigation. If you are interested in cooperative divorce, you may wish to visit the home page of the Divorce Cooperation Institute, of which the attorneys of Balisle & Roberson, S.C. are founding members