The Good Divorce How to Walk Away Financially Sound and Emotionally Happy

by Felder, Raoul; Victor, Barbara

• ISBN13: 9781250003867
• ISBN10: 1250003865
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-13
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Summary

There is nothing better than a good marriage. But when a marriage goes bad, there is no better option than divorce to give men and women a chance to start over. Handled wisely, divorce can be a beginning, not an end. It is the doorway to a new life free of hurt, anger, and resentment. The Good Divorce cover each phase of divorce, from knowing when to call it quits, to choosing a lawyer, to the final decree. They explore prenuptial contracts, mediation, alimony, child custody, same-sex marriage, and life after divorce. Some of the facts: *The first offer a woman gets when divorce negotiations begin is usually the best.*In all divorces, income rather than assets determine who pays what to whom.*Divorce is about compromise. Divorce court is not a boxing ring. After years of watching how divorce can go tragically wrong, Felder uses his expert knowledge to suggest how to make divorce more fair, civilized, and painless.

Author Biography

Raoul Felder is a nationally renowned divorce attorney. He is the author of eight books, including Bare-Knuckle Negotiation, and has appeared on television, radio, and print as an expert in divorce litigation. Barbara Victor has authored five novels and eight works of nonfiction, including Getting Away with Murder, a study of domestic violence in the United States, and A Voice of Reason, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1995. Her articles, editorials, and book reviews have appeared in the International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair.

Table of Contents

Authors' Note	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Introduction	p. xv
Dance of Death
Starting Over	p. 3
What Men and Women Expect Out of Marriage	p. 14
Knowing When to Call It Quits	p. 22
Choosing the Right Lawyer	p. 32
When to Run, Not Walk, out of a Lawyer's Office	p. 43
Mediation	p. 52
Clients from Hell	p. 57
Pendente Lite	p. 71
The Wildenstein Case	p. 85
Fear, Rage, Blame-How to Ruin a Good Divorce	p. 90
The Equality Myth
Family Court and Supreme Court	p. 105
Voices from the Bench	p. 119
The Gender Equality Myth	p. 133
Separate and Commingled Funds	p. 150
Grounds for Divorce	p. 157
"Fair" Is a Four-Letter Word	p. 171
Children
Custody and Child Support	p. 183
Child Abuse	p. 197
Child Abduction	p. 208
History of Love, Marriage, and Divorce
Then and Now	p. 219
Marital Rape and Crime of Passion	p. 231
Happily Ever After
Preparing for the End in the Beginning	p. 247
Will the Real Me Please Stand Up?	p. 261
Sample Intake Questionnaire	p. 269
Sample Prenuptial Agreement	p. 273
Index	p. 285
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.