For over 35 years, I have assisted couples to stay away from the family law court by serving as a neutral mediator or one of the spouse's collaborative attorney in their divorce, or legal separation process.

You may be wondering just how you can get a divorce without going to court. Well, one of the best kept secrets is that you don't have to go to court to get a divorce or legal separation in the first place. There are court documents that must be competently and honestly completed and filed with the court to start and end the process of divorce or legal separation, but you actually don't have to enter a court-room, or testify before a judge. The whole divorce or legal separation process can be completed by filling out the appropriate court forms and documents and having them filed with the court while you navigate the steps of the divorce or legal separation process.

In fact, even if you want to litigate in court, you can't do so right now while Covid 19 is still raging. If you're fortunate, and your family law case has been in play for several months or years, you might qualify for a virtual, remote court appearance with a judge. Although there are certain advantages to not having to travel to the court, it might be much more difficult to present documents to the court, or to have witnesses testify, and feel reassured that a witness was not coached or assisted by someone not in view of the video camera.

If you have any questions as to how you can maintain your security and safety at this difficult time, and navigate through the divorce or legal separation process more rapidly, Leslee Newman, the Divorce Peacemaker, can offer you a free of charge meeting to discuss the different options that are available to you and your spouse.

Find out how you can navigate through this difficult time privately and expediently in a confidential setting without having to sell your family residence or other community property assets to pay for an expensive, and lengthy litigation process that could do irreparable damage to your family.