St. Petersburg Divorce Lawyer Favors Alternative Dispute Resolutions

St. Petersburg divorce lawyer Raleigh “Lee” Greene explains the ins and outs of alternative dispute resolution.

St. Petersburg, FL (Law Firm Newswire) August 25, 2010 – What is alternative dispute resolution? “It simply means having your case handled without the judge making a decision for you,” says St. Petersburg divorce lawyer Raleigh “Lee” Greene. Within the family law context, alternative dispute resolution generally focuses upon collaborative divorce and mediation

But when are those times when you shouldn’t go to trial? The very act of going to trial can be more lucrative for the lawyers, but what’s in your best interest? Greene says that going to trial isn’t necessarily advantageous. “While you need a lawyer who is very good at trying cases, trial should be your last resort, not your first,” Greene says. “You and your family should retain as much of your personal worth as possible, rather than spending your money unnecessarily in a courtroom.”

Greene is often in favor of alternative dispute resolution. “Within alternative dispute resolution, it’s often been my privilege to settle cases that way. I’ve been using this strategy whenever possible since 1991,” he says. “While my office does not keep precise statistics, we estimate that I’ve handled, as a mediator, in excess of 3,500 such cases in the last 20 years. I’ve also been retained, on a much less frequent basis, as an arbitrator or private judge. Within the collaborative law arena, I was a founder of the Tampa Bay Collaborative Divorce Group, served as co-chair of that organization and currently serve on its executive committee.”

A divorce can be resolved through informal negotiations between the divorcing spouses (usually with attorneys), through out-of-court alternative dispute resolution proceedings that tend to facilitate a voluntary settlement, or in the traditional court setting – when a judge or jury makes final decisions. The vast majority of divorces are resolved before issues must go before a judge or jury, many through the use of alternative dispute resolution processes such as mediation, collaborative family law and arbitration.
But when should you and your estranged spouse proceed to alternative dispute resolution instead of the courtroom? “It depends on the degree to which you and your spouse are in dispute on key issues like child custody and property division, along with your willingness to work together to get those issues resolved,” says Greene.

To learn more, contact St. Petersburg divorce lawyer, Clearwater divorce attorney, and Tampa Bay divorce complex divorce lawyer, Raleigh “Lee” Greene by visiting http://www.tampabaydivorcefirm.com/ or calling (727) 821-2900.

R.W. Greene, III, P.A.
401 Fourth Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Call: (727) 821-2900

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