amicable divorce
Ian Taylor shares his experience of an amicable divorce.......
“When we divorced, over ten years ago, neither Angie nor I knew anything about mediation, but we were both convinced that we did not want a protracted and expensive fight over contact with children or finances. We were very conscious of the damage it could do to our children, and of the fact that we would always be jointly responsible for their parenting.
Without knowing where to go for help, we sat down together and sorted out the details sensibly and amicably, and reached an agreement that suited us both. We have continued to do this as things have evolved over time, and I think the benefit for our ongoing relationship and for our children has been immense.
I know that not everybody is able to find a way to this sort of settlement without help, and that is why I am so keen to advocate mediation and collaborative law as a better option for most people than the traditional adversarial divorce. In fact that is why I have trained as a mediator myself, and why I was so keen to sponsor the Surrey/Hampshire border SOS roadshow.
As well as providing a stable and safe environment for our children to grow up in, we have preserved a good relationship between us, and Angie now works part time in my business. We also, as an extended family, including Angie’s husband, went out for dinner to celebrate our daughter’s 17th birthday.”
Ian Taylor is the director of Davenport Financial Management where he specialises in guiding divorcing couples through the financial implications of divorce with an emphasis on mediation and a non-combattive approach. Ian is also part of The Collaborative Famil Law Group which is hosting the Surrey/Hampshire border SOS Road Show at Farnham Castle.
