Your Divorce Advisor : A Lawyer and a Psychologist GuideYou Through the Legal and Emotional Landscape of Divorce (Paperback)

by Diana Mercer (Author), Marsha Kline Pruett (Author) "Divorce is now a commonplace phenomenon in our society..." (more)
Key Phrases: alimony order, parenting schedules, child support guidelines, Social Security, Ralph Junior (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Louis Parley author of The Ethical Family Lawyer Your Divorce Advisor is the most comprehensive divorce book on the market. It covers the legal issues extensively and is the only book to also tell you what you can expect to feel along the way. It offers an invaluable strategy for coping with the emotional demands of divorce, and has the best advice on talking with your kids about the divorce that I've read anywhere. It is the one book I will recommend to my divorcing clients. -- Review

Review
Janet JohnstonExecutive Director, Judith Wallerstein Center for the Family in Transition, and author of In the Name of the Child Your Divorce Advisor, written by a seasoned lawyer-and-psychologist team, is a gem of a guidebook that empowers divorcing adults to take control of their own divorce -- legally, financially, and emotionally. It walks the reader through the divorce process, step by step. Vital information about financial matters and state-of-the-art research about the needs of children allow the reader to make constructive decisions for themselves and for their children, setting them on the pathway toward solutions that work for everybody involved. All of this is presented in a manner that is compassionate, sensible, and most comforting.

Nancy Dunnanauthor of Dunnan's Guide to Your Investments, 2001We know that divorce creates problems -- for the couple, their children, their family, their friends....Mercer and Pruett have done something other experts have failed to do: They have created rock-solid solutions based on their recognition that financial and legal decisions are inextricably influenced, even governed, by emotional feelings. The result: They offer a rare combination of legal, emotional, personal, and financial advice that makes this guidebook must reading, not only for anyone going through divorce but also for anyone knowing someone who is.

Forrest S. MostenPresident, Mosten Mediation CentersYour Divorce Advisor brilliantly and compassionately deals with the common challenges facing anyone going through a divorce. If your marriage is in trouble, you should buy Your Divorce Advisor before you hire a lawyer. Lawyers and therapists should recommend Your Divorce Advisor before the very first client meeting.

Louis Parleyauthor of The Ethical Family LawyerYour Divorce Advisor is the most comprehensive divorce book on the market. It covers the legal issues extensively and is the only book to also tell you what you can expect to feel along the way. It offers an invaluable strategy for coping with the emotional demands of divorce, and has the best advice on talking with your kids about the divorce that I've read anywhere. It is the one book I will recommend to my divorcing clients.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 361 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684870681
• ISBN-13: 978-0684870687
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #211,124 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #25 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Family & Health Law > Domestic Relations
  #31 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Family & Health Law > Divorce & Separation
  #42 in	Books > Nonfiction > Law > Family & Health Law > Domestic Relations

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well put together., August 24, 2003

By	C. Roche (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book post divorce, a mistake equivalent to waiting until after a bad operation to check out your doctor's credentials with the AMA or state medical board.

It hardly needs be said that as far as life altering events go, both marriage and divorce present potential short/long term repercussions. To move into either of these arenas without having first educated yourself to the negative implications is probably the most common mistake made in our society today.

Still, while the typical no-fault divorce in a joint property jurisdiction is a cut and dry event, there are areas - emotional, intellectual, and financial, that you need to explore in advance and this book can help you to accomplish that. Even if there are painful or unresolved issues that linger after the decree is final, you can gain insights here as to legal strategies that may help, or other practical guidance if acceptance is the only option.

Unlike some of the other books I've read on this subject, "Your Divorce Advisor" does not appear to have a gender bias or other transparent agendas. Working together, Mercer and Pruett help you to gain a bit of distance from your own situation, while offering objective advice toward gaining fair and effective closure.

This book does a fine job of capturing the circumstances that I imagine might be faced by 90% of all respondents. Even if you have a very unusual situation, the general advice available here is valuable. I had particular concerns when I bought the book, and I found viable answers and explanations contained therein. They may not have been what I was hoping for, but as the basic theme of this book expounds, getting realistic about divorce and its aftermath is step one in the mutli-part process of a successful separation.

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good as far as it goes, August 20, 2001

By	E. L. Oneill "Lee O'Neill" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found the combination of interweaving comments from an attorney and a psychologist to be very effective and was very encouraged as I began reading. As I progressed, however, I became somewhat disappointed for several different reasons and these reasons may not apply to other people (so take my rating with a grain of salt). First, a huge proportion of the book is dedicated to issues of childcare and child custody so for those of us without children, it's as if we bought a book that only has 60% of its content directed towards us. In this light, I thought that some of the financial issues were shortchanged a bit. Second, it seemed like a disproportionate amount of the material was directed specifically (or at least primarily) towards wives. Finally, I would have liked to have seen more attention paid to situations where there may be substantial issues of emotional problems and/or mental illness. Those exceptions aside, though, I thought this was a very well-done book.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Book Does It All, January 22, 2002

By	"shermboy" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

I bought this book after reading 5 or 6 other books, and none of those other books covered divorce from start to finish as well as this one did. From the finances to figuring out whether you're emotionally ready to deal with the issues, I found it really helpful. Definitely worth the price. I even lent it to my lawyer.