Divorce: More Than One Way to Settle Your Divorce!
In CT, as in other places, there are horror stories about divorce cases that are contentious, expensive, and have ruined families. There are three models to resolve your divorce and each one offers benefits that may be right for you and your family.
- Mediation. In mediation, the husband and wife agree to mediate their issues with one person. That mediator should be a current or former divorce attorney who can properly identify all issues and draft an enforceable agreement. The mediator does not take sides but is there to guide the parties to an agreement that both believe is fair and equitable.
- Collaborative Divorce. This process is like mediation in that the parties agree to settle their dispute out of court, but both are represented by attorneys trained in collaborative divorce law. This gives the parties the benefit of experienced advice but eliminates much of the stress of the traditional adversarial approach.
- Adversarial divorce/traditional model Both parties hire their own counsel and head to court to have a judge decide their case. In most adversarial cases, experienced attorneys are able to settle cases before trial but in certain cases where emotion runs high or where there are genuine issues of disagreement, a judge will be the final decision maker.
If you are contemplating divorce, Ken Taylor has over 35 years of experience in all three models. He is a trained and certified mediator, trained in collaborative law, and has represented hundreds of individuals in courts around the State. He understands the stress and uncertainty that divorcing people face and will represent them in an aggressive, fair, honest, and efficient manner.
Choosing to work with our attorneys can help you in the following ways:
Reduced Likelihood of Mistakes: While you have not been through the divorce process many times, divorce attorneys have assisted with them multiple times. We will advocate for your interests using tried and true tactics that we have learned through years of service.
Professional Guidance: The divorce process can be complex and messy; not only are there many things to consider but there are logistics and emotions to sort through. Let our knowledgeable divorce attorneys take some of the cares off of your plate. We’ll treat you with the care, compassion, and professionalism you deserve to reduce frustration.
Negotiation: Everyone deserves dedicated representation. We are here to listen to what you want, and then go to work on your behalf. If you want a fair settlement in your divorce, working with experienced attorneys could make the difference.
Paperwork: As with any legal proceeding, there are important deadlines that must be met. Working with attorneys ensures that all paperwork is filled out and submitted properly so that the proceedings are legal.
If you want to learn more about how our divorce attorneys can help you, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office! We are proud to work with clients from throughout the greater New Milford area.
Divorce is emotionally challenging, and is made even more stressful by the financial uncertainty that often accompanies it. Men and women contemplating divorce require experienced and knowledgeable divorce lawyers to guide them through this difficult time. They need accurate and timely information to make sound decisions that could affect them for years to come. Divorce is at times painfully difficult for both parties especially when it involves children. The rights of child custody, support, and visitation need to be handled in a professional manner to ensure the child isn’t placed in a bad situation at the conclusion of the divorce. While the end result is a dissolved marriage, the family does not have to be destroyed in the process. At McCarthy & Taylor, LLP, our attorneys and staff strive to resolve our clients’ cases efficiently and in a way that promotes a new family structure that works.
Hundreds of Resolved Cases
The majority of divorce cases are resolved by agreement rather than trial. Attorney Taylor has 35 years of practical experience in guiding individuals and families through the difficult process of divorce, be it by way of adversarial litigation or collaborative mediation.
For more than 35 years, Attorney Taylor has handled matters related to divorce, separation and annulment, marriage and domestic partnerships, child custody and visitation, child support, maintenance (alimony or spousal support), property distribution, domestic partnership agreements, pre-nuptial agreements, post-marriage agreements, post-divorce proceedings, neglect/abuse proceedings, domestic violence and termination of parental rights, international divorce and custody issues. Attorney Taylor offers wise and strategic counsel in complex equitable distribution matters involving the valuation of professional licenses, degrees, businesses, professional practices, and other forms of intangible property interests. He also offers mediation and parenting coordination services.
Attorney Taylor has handled hundreds of cases involving complex custody, visitation, and support issues throughout Connecticut, providing expert representation with respect to family offense/domestic violence proceedings, paternity, Juvenile Delinquency and Persons in Need of Supervision proceedings, abuse and neglect allegations, and name change petitions. Attorney Taylor also provides consultation and drafting of pre-nuptial agreements, pre-marital asset planning, and representation in enforcement proceedings.
In those cases in which the financial or custodial issues are too complex or contested, and when mediation is of no avail, we stand ready to aggressively litigate our clients’ interests and have done so in many cases.
Divorce Mediation
Partner Kenneth Taylor was recently certified in divorce mediation through the Connecticut Council for Non-Adversarial Divorce. In divorce mediation, a neutral mediator shepherds the parties toward a mutually acceptable outcome without formally representing either side. Attorney Taylor also guides divorcing couples through collaborative divorce, which begins with setting mutual goals and like mediation, can save families money and emotional scars. Additionally, he has served as a court-appointed Special Master in the Litchfield and Danbury judicial districts for 20 years. Special Masters are very experienced divorce attorneys who function as a neutral party as part of an ADR process in which they work with the parties involved and then present the judge with an opinion on how the case should be resolved. In Connecticut, courts offer the Special Masters process on a pretrial basis, offering an opportunity for a constructive agreement to be reached quickly and economically.
Building Strong Cases
With extensive experience and a highly regarded record of accomplishment, our lawyers provide legal representation that is custom-tailored to our clients’ specific circumstances. We are known for building strong cases that tell our clients’ stories with accuracy and compassion, as well as for developing solutions that meet our clients’ needs.
Clients of our firm enjoy the personal attention of a small law firm combined with the extensive resources of a much larger organization. We employ cutting-edge courtroom technology and work with well-regarded experts and specialists to develop the most compelling cases and solutions for our clients.
Dedicated to Seeking Justice
In addition to skill, experience, and resources, our attorneys and staff are dedicated to the pursuit of justice and committed to helping our clients achieve the best possible outcomes. Our clients are people with needs, concerns, and problems that we can address; we never forget that they are people, not case files or numbers.
Responsive and Caring Attorneys
We are responsive and caring family and divorce attorneys. Our clients can count on us to promptly answer questions, address concerns, and steer them toward services that can help during difficult times. We understand that needing family or divorce lawyers usually means that something is wrong in a person’s life. We are sensitive to our clients’ uncertainty and apprehension about the legal process, and we keep them fully informed as their cases move forward. If you’d like to discuss your current situation with our divorce lawyers, we welcome you to contact our New Milford, CT office to schedule an initial consultation.