I have done many divorces for clients when I have been the only attorney, representing one party, and the other party was unrepresented by counsel. The goal for my client and me was to get to a settlement agreement with the spouse, without court involvement. To accomplish that goal, I tried very hard to maintain mutual respect between the parties, helped them exchange the financial information they needed to share, and work through the issues they needed to address to get to a full settlement agreement.
Similarly, I have had divorces in which both parties were represented by counsel, and we worked through their issues, sometimes using four-way meetings, with the goal to get to an agreement without any court involvement. It takes a couple who both accept that a divorce is needed, they are not “fighting” about children, and they are able to stay calm and work through their financial issues. It also requires two attorneys who support mutual respect between the parties and attorneys, and a focus on the parties’ needs and interests.
The low conflict divorce is very cost-effective for parties, when the focus is on their interests and goals, and any attorneys can support this non-confrontational, mutually respectful process.