Our New Norm

Slowly it seems we are coming out of the pandemic norm and finding our footing post-COVID. I think divorce professionals learned a lot during the pandemic. Moving forward, I think we may continue to use some of our new ways of communicating, working from home, and being flexible with our kids and scheduling to make the process adaptable in a changing world.

A number of us are in communication about these changes and how we can adapt our processes for clients and families. For those of us working in collaborative law, divorces can still proceed with meetings happening remotely or in person as our community becomes vaccinated and we can proceed in safe ways. We can be creative to help families find some finality over teleconferences and Zoom meetings as well. While not always ideal, it is adaptable. And its especially helpful that the Court no longer requires notarized documents – so we can electronically facilitate signing of documents.

Regarding divorce, there are some factual questions that invariably come up in times of uncertainty. With the stock market up again – variability seems inevitable. Some clients feel uncomfortable making decisions in times of uncertainty, but our processes are created to account for this. As always, if you are equalizing retirement, our process is typically designed to accommodate variability in the market. But if you are buying out another asset (like a house) with retirement, then the variability may greatly impact the agreements. House values may greatly vary and refinancing rates are another variable that can be problematic. Today, it seems like housing prices are up and refinancing costs low – but that could change on a dime.

Times of uncertainty are always hard but we are here for you. Please reach out if you have questions on your current case or interest in starting the process. We are here for you.