Virginia Property Settlement Lawyers

PSAs Put the Focus on Negotiations

Working out a PSA with your divorcing spouse helps to put the focus on negotiations and can save you time and expense in the long run. Further, if you and your divorcing spouse have no shared children, having a PSA allows you to move forward with finalizing your divorce in as little as a six-month mandatory separation. Your PSA is a binding contractual obligation that can address all the basic terms of your divorce, including:

• The division of your marital assets and debts
• Your child custody arrangements
• Child support
• Spousal support (also called alimony)

There is, however, no limit to how detailed your PSA can be, and you can address specifics within these terms that the court simply will not. This means that you can tailor your PSA to your unique circumstances.

Keeping the Decision-Making Power between Yourselves

The primary advantage of having a PSA in place is that it allows you and your divorcing spouse to keep the important decisions that directly affect you and your children’s futures between yourselves. Many divorcing couples find this highly motivating and are willing to put in the additional effort to make it happen. An important point to make here is that you don’t have to go it alone when it comes to these negotiations. Your respective divorce attorneys can negotiate on your behalf, and there are alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options, such as mediation, that your dedicated divorce attorney can help you explore.