Divorce Without Court: A Guide to Mediation & Collaborative Divorce [Paperback]

Katherine Stoner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2006

The all-in-one guide that shows couples how to end a marriage, fairly and inexpensively. Can you really have a civilized divorce? Ending a marriage is always difficult, but it need not be defined by financial or emotional conflict. Avoid huge legal bills and jockeying lawyers while protecting your kids -- turn to Divorce Without Court for help. The book guides you through a negotiated divorce, using divorce mediation or a new approach called "collaborative divorce." Encouraging and straightforward, Divorce Without Court explains how mediation works, how collaborative divorce works, how to use either to end a marriage, how to maximize opportunities for settlement, how to get an agreement in writing and how to find and use advisors. Divorce Without Court provides the latest resources, contact information for state offices, national and regional organizations, and clear examples of what you can expect.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A comprehensive, step-by-step guide through the process for people who want to avoid the expense and damage of litigation." -- Chip Rose, author of Collaborative Family Law Practice

"Finally arealistic and balanced approachto getting divorced without costly court battles. This accessible book takes divorcing couples through the entireprocess." -- Gary Friedman, author of A Guide to Divorce Mediation

About the Author

Katherine E. Stoner is an attorney/mediator in private practice with the firm of Stoner, Welsh & Schmidt in Pacific Grove, California. In addition to mediation, her practice includes consulting attorney services for clients who are in mediation. Ms. Stoner is a Certified Family Law Specialist, who teaches community property at Monterey College of Law and is on the training staff of the Center for Mediation and Law in Mill Valley, California. She has lectured extensively on family law and mediation and has been interviewed by major media including NBC's Today Show.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: NOLO; 1 edition (June 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141330494X
• ISBN-13: 978-1413304947
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,406,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic divorce info but not much financial settlement advice, May 25, 2007

By 

vegetarian x "walk softly" (peace, on earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Divorce Without Court: A Guide to Mediation & Collaborative Divorce (Paperback)

This Nolo Press book is a very basic, extremely helpful and well-organized overview of the mediation/collaboration process. The questionnaires are straightforward and help to simplify some initial decisions. However, I had hoped for more information and advice on negotiating a somewhat more complex financial situation, especially for couples without children. For that, I recommend : Divorce & Money: Everything You Need to Know About Dividing Property and The Complete Guide to Protecting Your Financial Security When Getting a Divorce

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ugh! The D-word., September 5, 2009

By 

Nicole S. Urdang (Western New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Divorce Without Court: A Guide to Mediation & Collaborative Divorce (Paperback)

(What's this?)

Divorce Without Court...if only there could be divorce without lawyers.... Until we get there, we have Nolo's second edition of Divorce Without Court: a Guide To Mediation & Collaborative Divorce.

As someone who was married almost 30 years and went through the life-in-the-blender experience of an acrimonious divorce, I am wholeheartedly in favor of the concepts espoused in this book. However, if you have a contentious situation, you need a more conventional approach. The chapter on deciding whether to mediate or collaborate is excellent, even if it just helps you choose neither. The questions really make you think about your particular situation, and they are very thorough.

This is an incredible resource and a great companion to their other book: Nolo's Essential Guide To Divorce. If you read both, you'll get an excellent education on what to realistically expect, whatever route you choose.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear language and short sections make this text very useful, November 15, 2006

By 

Valerie Atkinson Brown "[e-mail]" (Kyle, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Divorce Without Court: A Guide to Mediation & Collaborative Divorce (Paperback)

Divorce Without Court contains simple headings, icons, worksheets, and highlighted text in such a way that the text is easy to follow. Some headings present questions - that are answered in the text, others give do's and do nots, while other headings give clear directions for the reader to follow.

One example of how the text clarifies the issues of divorce is the "Tell It Like It Is: A Vocabulary of Emotions" chart. This helps the reader clarify language for the intended audience. For example, the emotions listed include nostalgic, inconsolable, miserable, hysterical, and bereft.

This level of detail about every aspect of divorce follows throughout the book. Stoner makes the text clear and understandable through adept use of language. Headings likewise are short and clear.

Readers - whether they hire an attorney or not - will find this text useful.