Early on in your divorce process, emotions may be running high. You could feel like you and your spouse don’t agree on anything these days, especially when it comes to things like splitting up your marital property or figuring out how to share child custody. It can seem like a divorce settlement is miles away from completion.
But in almost every divorce, this is not necessarily the case. Most divorcing spouses are fairly close on the big stuff. It is the job of you and your divorce attorney to work with your counterparts to negotiate the rest.
The ‘four percent’ rule
In a recent interview, actor and comedian Chris Rock reflected on his 2016 divorce. He said his lawyer told him that in his experience, there is only about four percent to negotiate. His cases tend to be about 96 percent complete regarding property division and child custody. When Rock heard that, it put his divorce in perspective.
A guide, not really an iron-clad rule
Obviously, this is not a hard and fast rule, and few people in Montana are as high-profile as Rock, who got divorced in the public eye. Some spouses go into divorce with virtually everything settled, perhaps thanks to a prenuptial agreement. In other cases, there is a lot of work to do, particularly if you own substantial assets like a house. But if both of you are motivated to negotiate in good faith while still advocating for your financial and parental rights, a fairly rapid and low-stress divorce is possible.