The Divorce Consultants - Questions
The most commonly asked questions about the Divorce Consultants.
- Can the Divorce Consultants help us?
- Can you help us if we are not married?
- Does our type of antenuptial agreement affect the agreements we have to make?
- Does the new divorce law affect our divorce?
- What is a family mediator and what is his/her role?
- How much does it cost to have the Divorce Consultants arrange our divorce?
- Do both of you want to work on your relationship? Do you want a divorce but your partner doesn't?
- How do I tell my children about our impending divorce?
- I'm not Belgian. Can I also use your services?
- Who are the Divorce Consultants? The Pareto Group
Can the Divorce Consultants help us?
If you have jointly decided to divorce, we will support you from the first meeting to the drafting of your divorce agreement for the court. The divorce agreement includes the agreements you have reached on parenting, assets and your home.
We follow the 'divorce by mutual consent' procedure and the agreements reached are incorporated in the divorce agreement.
Can you help us if we are not married?
If you are legally cohabiting (in other words you are registered as cohabiting) you must report your divorce to your local municipal authority (gemeente/commune). If you have children together, then you have further steps to take. Parental arrangements must be made. We will help you with this.
Does our type of antenuptial agreement affect the agreements we have to make?
If you did not have a marriage contract drawn up before or during your marriage, then you are married by default under the legal system. If you do have a marriage contract, then you will find more information here:
Does the new divorce law affect our divorce?
The new divorce law applies to all divorces filed with the court on or after 1 September 2007. As far as the divorce agreement is concerned, there is no longer a minimum age requirement for the partners or a minimum duration for the marriage. Under the new law, you only need to appear in court once if you have been living apart for more than six months.
What is a family mediator and what is his/her role?
The divorce mediator is an integral part of our divorce service. The role of the divorce mediator is to serve as an impartial third party, to support you throughout the divorce process, to make (potential) conflicts manageable, to keep the divorce procedure from ending up as a courtroom battle and more.
How much does it cost to have the Divorce Consultants arrange our divorce?
We charge a fixed price to support you through the divorce process (see our five-step plan). The fixed price is determined at the first meeting. The actual amount depends on your circumstances, i.e. whether or not you have a children, a shared home, the complexity of the case, etc. One thing is sure: it costs a fraction of what you would pay for an adversarial divorce and half of the fees you would pay if you each retained the services of a lawyer.
Do both of you want to work on your relationship? Do you want a divorce but your partner doesn't?
If you want to gain a better insight into your relationship before actually making a decision, then contact us.
If one of you does not agree to the divorce, then you have two options:
1) You can try to get you and your partner to agree on the status of your relationship.
2) You can file a unilateral divorce petition with the court on the grounds of irretrievable breakdown of marriage.
How do I tell my children about the impending divorce?
Read the Parental Guide at StartpuntScheiden to find out what divorce means for a child, what the reactions and consequences will be, what concerns children have, how you can deal with them and more.
I'm not Belgian. Can I also use your services?
That is not a problem for most nationalities. Unlike in some neighbouring countries, in Belgium you are not required to retain the services of a lawyer if you want to divorce.
Who are the Divorce Consultants?
The Divorce Consultants are a network of divorce experts.
Our regional Divorce Consultants (family mediators) will guide you through the entire divorce process. The Pareto Group is the organisation behind the Divorce Consultants.