Collaborative Divorce. Choosing a Healthier Path
Are You Divorcing? Learn collaborative divorce tools and online therapy support in Maryland and DC
Are you heading for a collaborative divorce? Before you jump into legal battles, consider the benefits of collaborative divorce. A recent Washington Post article highlighted Bethesda-based attorney Regina DeMeo’s shift from litigation to collaborative divorce after experiencing her own divorce. As a Maryland and DC online therapist working with families, I encourage clients to evaluate options like mediation or collaboration first. For a comparison of these methods, check out the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals or see how online therapy in Maryland and DC can support you emotionally during the transition.
The following article appeared recently in the Washington Post and gives personal information from Regina DeMeo, a family attorney in Bethesda and a Collaboratively trained expert.
THE PROFESSIONAL
After a lawyer’s own split, a different approach to divorce
by Ellen McCarthy
It used to be all business for divorce lawyer Regina DeMeo. Her approach was always the same: “This is a partnership and the partnership is dissolving. What are the assets? What is the time-sharing arrangement you think is going to work best? Okay, come on,” she would think. “Get yourself together and let’s move on.” Then, after seven years of marriage, De-Meo went through her own divorce. “It was a very humbling experience,” she says. “All your dreams are shattered . . .
your whole world is rocked.” DeMeo began reading everything she could about what makes and breaks marriages, and she changed the way she practices law. Soon after the divorce, the
George Washington University Law School graduate became trained in a growing practice called collaborative divorce. Now when a potential client lands in her office, she asks to hear the story of the marriage and the reasons for divorce. When there’s even a hint of ambivalence
she’ll nudge the client toward a counselor. “If you can save this marriage, that’s what
you should try to do,” says DeMeo, 37. “Because I can tell you personally, I’ve been
down this dark path, and it’s not fun.” But if clients are sure that ending the marriage is the only solution, she’ll encourage them to consider collaborative divorce, a process that requires both spouses to agree not to go to court. Instead, they and their individual lawyers, along with
mental health professionals and a neutral financial adviser, meet to openly hash out
the terms of the divorce. The process requires that all relevant information be shared willingly — “so I don’t have to issue subpoenas to 50 different banks and waste time and money,” says DeMeo, a lawyer with Joseph, Greenwald & Laake in Rockville. The couple has to reach an agreement on every issue that needs to be addressed —including child-care arrangements, real
estate decisions and division of assets. And if they don’t reach a complete agreement,
both lawyers lose the case. The couple will lose all the money they’ve invested in the process and must start over with new attorneys. DeMeo, who is president of the Collaborative Divorce Association, a group that promotes the practice, says the process is less painful than a divorce that involves litigation. “There are no surprises,” she says. “And they feel like they own it because
they’re the final decision makers, as opposed to some person they’ve never met before who’s going to hear their case for six hours and make a decision for the rest of their lives.”
And maybe more important than that, she says, the collaborative divorce process forces two people whose lines of communication are broken to learn to work together and talk respectfully to each other. “Because if you have kids, you’re going to have to continue to communicate for the
next 20 years,” she says. About a quarter of DeMeo’s clients choose to conduct collaborative divorces, a percentage she hopes will grow significantly in the years ahead. But it’s not for
everyone, she realizes, and can run counter to what many lawyers are trained to do
regarding the protection of their clients’ information. Still, she remains in favor of anything
that can mitigate the emotional devastation that often accompanies divorce. But she knows as well as anyone that much of the pain has already been inflicted by the time clients reach her. “You can’t undo damage that’s been going on for the last five years,” she says. “Marriage is like a
plant, and if you don’t water it and give it sunlight, it’s going to die. You can’t just take it for granted.” DeMeo thinks her own experiences have made her a better, more empathetic
lawyer. “I really know what they’re going through,” she says. “But I would much rather have paid for the knowledge without having the pain.” mccarthye@washpost.com
Are you heading for a collaborative divorce? means choosing the process that supports your legal needs and emotional health. Collaborative divorce, with legal, mental health, and financial professionals on your side, is often less painful and more empowering. If you’re in Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring, or Washington, DC, I offer online therapy in Maryland and DC to guide you through separation with clarity and compassion. Learn more about collaborative processes from the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals .
By Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst
