Civilized Uncoupling: A Non-Adversarial Approach to Divorce

• Main Author: Gaylen Curtis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing 2015-07-01
• Series: Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies
• Subjects: collaboration; divorce; adversarial divorce; partnership and divorce; peaceful divorce; family law
• Online Access: https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/ijps/article/view/106

The word divorce can conjure images and expectations of ugly battles and emotional brutality involving parasitic attorneys profiting from the whole process. For many people the only hope for peace is to just walk away without a fight. There is another way for divorcing people. It is possible to get through a divorce and avoid the ugliness. This requires the willingness of the litigant and problem-solving skills of the attorney, as well as judges who demand compliance with court rules and accountability from both lawyers and litigants. Most of all, keeping divorce peaceful requires the viewpoint that it is possible to do so. This article advocates for this perspective.