The positive role of conflict in divorce
You may wonder how there could be anything positive about divorce—especially given the conflict attendant in even the most amicable marital split. But it is true. While the end of any marriage is sad and difficult for each partner, it is conflict—and the need for change—that fuels the desire to dissolve a relationship and move forward with life.
In Maryland, our divorce and family law practice serves individuals and couples as they grapple with highly charged issues like child custody, property division, and financial support. We have experience with levels of conflict that rise and ebb throughout the divorce process—and how that conflict is expressed.
While it is conflict that leads a couple into divorce, it is how conflict takes form that determines whether that divorce will have a positive or negative outcome in the near future.
In a high-conflict litigated divorce, expression of conflict is once-removed to attorneys who become polarized proxies for each party, arguing in court for a favorable decision for their client. Disputes are decided by an impartial judge upholding the letter of the law.
Low-conflict dispute resolution, like mediation, is an immediately personal method that depolarizes, examines, and holds the line on conflict between parties with the aid of a neutral mediator. A mediator does not influence outcomes or make decisions.
The need for change is usually cloaked in conflict. If considering divorce—consider your conflict—and choose the divorce process you need to achieve the positive future you want.
