Divorce Lawyer in Denver, CO

Divorce and the issues that may arise after the divorce, what is known as post-decree, is one of the most stressful events a person can go through in life. Elle works towards helping her clients resolve their divorce and any issues that may arise after the divorce as quickly and affordably as possible.

Obtaining a divorce can be complicated. A typical divorce in Denver will divide up property, including complex assets such as retirement plans and trusts, may involve an order entitling one party to maintenance (also known as alimony), and will address all aspects of child care including parenting time, decision-making and child support. Many clients become easily overwhelmed from the start of the divorce: What paperwork needs to be filed? What deadlines will a court impose? What do I need to give to the other party? How does the court resolve problems before the court issues the final orders in the divorce? How long will this take? And the list goes on.

Once a person decides to move forward with a divorce, they have choices to make as to how they are going to get divorced. Parties may want to do it all themselves. For simple matters such as those without children or those with few assets to divide, this option may be ideal. The Colorado judiciary has forms online along with instructions on how to complete the forms and file for divorce. However, the more complex the divorce, the more likely a person will need a dedicated and efficient divorce lawyer to get through the process with as little difficulty and the best outcome as possible.

Frequently, people who divorce without at least some guidance from a divorce lawyer end up with bad agreements or poor court orders. The typical person may not know his or her rights and may make agreements that the law doesn’t support. What you don’t know can hurt you. The typical person does not know what arguments are legally supportable in court, how the courts have interpreted the case law setting forth a party’s rights, or the limits around presenting evidence in court. The judge cannot advise a party on how to manage his or her case, including how to present evidence, what is admissible, or how to examine witnesses. If the evidence isn’t allowed in, the court will still make a decision. Unwinding the damage afterwards can be difficult or impossible. The party is then stuck with an order that was issued without the court knowing about certain information.

Elle, the founder of Byram Law based in Denver Colorado, strives to work with each client based on his or her needs. Elle will work with clients from the commencement of the divorce all the way through a final divorce hearing. However, for many people, this is too costly. Thus, Elle offers alternatives, called limited representation or unbundled legal services, to help clients while also trying to maintain tight budgets.

In “limited” or “unbundled” representation, a client may hire a divorce lawyer to assist with just one or two aspects of the divorce. For example, if the parties have few assets to divide and can come to agreements as to the division of those assets, the client may not need an attorney to assist him or her with a division of property. However, the parties may be unable to come to agreements regarding parenting time or child support. Elle will represent clients with only the issues they cannot resolve. This helps clients save money by focusing on the services they need rather than hiring an attorney for the entire representation.

Ultimately, divorce can be complicated. You don’t want to end up in a bad agreement or with a poor order from the court that you can’t unwind. Do it right the first time. Elle will help you with your needs and do what she can to work within a limited budget.

Collaborative Divorce is a relatively new and expanding way to resolve divorces in the Denver area with less conflict and better outcomes. Unlike a traditional divorce in which the parties file a petition and ultimately go to court for the judge to make decisions for parties, Collaborative Divorce is performed outside of the court room. Each party is represented by divorce lawyer, who are specially trained in Collaborative Divorce. There is also a neutral, who is similar to a mediator and is also trained in Collaborative Divorce. The neutral guides the parties, with the guidance of their Collaborative Divorce attorneys, to help them make the best decisions for them.

In addition to specially trained counsel and a neutral party, the divorcing couple may have additional professionals to assist them through the process. These professionals may consist of mental health professionals to help with the emotional aspects of a divorce including parenting time issues and they may have financial and real estate professional if there are complex assets or a home. The process fits the needs of the parties.

Parties in a collaborative divorce agree at the outset of the divorce to avoid court and work to make decisions that work best for the family without following the traditional method of a court, a judge and a heated battle. After the parties reach agreements, all necessary paperwork and the final agreements are filed with the court for the court to issue the final divorce decree. Although Collaborative Divorce may be more costly at the outset than a traditional divorce, Collaborative Divorce has been shown to reduce conflicts in divorce and to produce better long term outcomes than the traditional path in the courts. This in the long term reduces costs overall.