Now here's some good news. They needn't take years. They needn't cost thousands. They needn't leave you feeling one step away from nervous exhaustion. Because settlements can be handled by mediation.
Mediation is a fresh approach resolving disputes.
Instead of both parties hiring lawyers and fighting over the house, the car, the furniture, the bank balance and most importantly the children, you let one impartial family mediator help both of you to an agreement. It's far quicker, vastly cheaper, and a whole lot more civilised than slugging it out through an endless series of solicitor's letters and court hearings. Divorce is never a pleasant process and always leaves emotional scars, but with a mediated settlement there is more chance of them being just that, scars, and less chance of them being gaping wounds. More importantly, your children can get some stability back into their lives in a fraction of the time which it could take through traditional court-based means. Fighting for children through the courts can take years, and even one year is a long time in a child's life.