Divorce Via Zoom

Those going through a divorce during Covid have done so almost exclusively via Zoom.  Legal professionals speculate that the remote divorce may outlast this pandemic and become a permanent fixture.  Understanding how Zoom affects the divorce process is therefore important for anyone facing a divorce.

The good news is that zoom will reduce the cost of divorce in terms of time and money.  The biggest cost associated with divorce is the time spent in meetings.  With Zoom these meetings are less expensive because the couple don’t need to pay for the professional’s travel time to and from meetings or pay while everyone waits for the meeting to begin.  Further, Zoom reduces the amount of time clients need to take out of their day to attend meetings.

Zoom also changes the setting of divorce.  Instead of being in a law office or courtroom – neither of which are places commonly associate with comfort - you are located on your couch or kitchen in front of a computer, perhaps with your dog at your side.  In my experience, our surroundings greatly affect our behavior and people will be less stressed when they can discuss such a difficult subject from the comfort of their own home. 

At first glance, Zoom may seem like a less personable way to divorce. In some respect this is true, as I have handled several divorces in the past year without actually having met my clients in person. But in my experience Zoom offers us a way to make the divorce process more personable too.  Before Zoom, meetings were scheduled less often and took longer to complete. Further, there was more pressure to make significant progress in each meeting given the large investment of time and money put into the meetings.  Because Zoom reduces the investment of time and money into meetings, meetings take place on a more frequent basis, are shorter in duration and are less of an “event”.  This reduces the pressure on spouses to “perform” at meetings and allows clients to make decisions at a pace appropriate to their situation.  So while less live and in-person contact may be less personable, more frequent contact offers improved guidance and pace to a divorce. This is a large silver lining.

When deciding on a divorce process, people should think carefully about how each divorce process is suited for a Zoom dominated world.  For those who choose mediation or collaborative practice, divorce by Zoom presents an opportunity for people to reduce the time and cost of divorce, while improving the process when it comes to guidance and pace.   

Cleland Collaborative Solutions offers a FREE one-hour consultation to provide you with the information you need to make a smart decision about divorce. If you decide divorce by Zoom is an option that would suit your situation Cleland Collaborative Solutions can help you. For full details please call (586) 876-9165.