Gwyneth Paltrow caused a media storm recently when she announced that she and her husband, Chris Martin, were "consciously uncoupling." She emphasized that after a decade of marriage the couple planned to remain friends and co-parent. Divorce lawyers were not as surprised by the concept of conscious uncoupling however. In Baton Rouge, the Layfield Law Firm handles contested and uncontested divorces. Conscious uncoupling and uncontested divorces are quite similar in concept.
In an uncontested divorce the two parties are typically amicable. They agree on the terms of the divorce including:
- How to divide child care responsibilities.
- Distribution of property and assets
- How much spousal support should be paid
Because the couples are in agreement on the major aspects of the divorce they don't need a significant legal proceeding. This reduces the cost of the divorce and means it can be settled much faster than a contested divorce.
What Gwyneth Paltrow didn't mention was that even with conscious uncoupling a divorce attorney is needed to provide legal advice and help navigate the divorce proceedings. Everyone knows a divorce attorney is needed for contested divorce but some don't realize it is beneficial to hire an attorney for an uncontested divorce as well. Although an uncontested divorce is simpler it still requires navigation of legal issues. An attorney will help you prepare and file the divorce agreement and will represent you in the divorce court hearing where the request to separate is approved.
Some couples start down the path of an uncontested divorce only to find an issue they can't agree upon resulting in an undesirable contested divorce. Hiring a divorce attorney can help maximize the likelihood that the divorce be completed without changing to from an uncontested to a contested separation.
Gwyneth Paltrow may consider herself a trendsetter with conscious uncoupling but at Layfield Law Firm we have focused on uncontested divorces for years. Contact us so we can help you through the legal proceedings of an uncontested divorce.