* Possible 2-on-2 meeting in person (each of us with our attorney) to negotiate the divorce details -- this is apparently pretty common
Hi Tom,
This is not so common. Sounds expensive.
My ex-wife and I had two negotiations. The first time she and I did everything ourselves and then finalized it. The second time her attorney would send a proposal she'd work on, and then my attorney would send back a counter-proposal I'd worked on, until we reached an agreement and finalized it. The attorneys alleviated worries and rejected anything unreasonable or unenforceable. It was a very smooth process.
Someone else I "know extremely well" had a more contested divorce. They would clear their proposal with their attorney, then send it to the mediator and their ex-H. Their ex-H would do likewise. The mediator intervened when neither side was making progress by offering out-of-the-box suggestions, setting a time-limit, and weighing in on how they believed a judge would rule if they couldn't agree on a point.
A 2-on-2 meeting sounds stressful. I'd have no interest sitting in a room with my ex for hours negotiating, and if I did, 1 attorney should be plenty to clarify what's reasonable and what's not.
