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"One of the things that makes divorce so overwhelming when you start the process is the sheer, ridiculous amount of paperwork involved. And everything is written in exacting &amp;quot;legalese&amp;quot; that&amp;#039;s incredibly hard to understand and pretty much forces you to pay a lot of money to a lawyer who does understand it. Trying to work through the mountain of paperwork in a collaborative way (if you can do so with your ex) should be a much easier process. This last week, the Ohio Senate and the Texas Supreme Court both addressed legislation this week that aims to simplify paperwork and divorce proceedings in their states - a great move on both their parts, if you ask me. The Ohio legislation, which was passed on Tuesday, is known as the Ohio Collaborative Family Law Act. The bill lets families work out a settlement in voluntary meetings that include the divorcing parties, their attorneys and any other professionals they choose to attend, such as accountants or psychologists. If those meetings don&amp;#039;t lead to an agreement, the case would then go to court.  In Texas, the Supreme Court is reviewing already approved legislation concerning streamlined divorce documents for couples in uncontested divorces without children or property to divide. Many states already have this kind of documentation available for divorcing couples in these circumstances, and the Texas court is expected to rule favorably. I&amp;#039;m glad to see that forward steps are being made toward making divorce both inexpensive and collaborative. The two biggest stressors (for me, anyway) in the divorce process are finances and how this is affecting my children. Simplifying the process and pushing both parties toward peaceful resolution would eliminate a lot of that stress not just for me, but for others riding the divorce rollercoaster. If only every state were working toward this kind of solution! Do you feel like your divorce was too paperwork-heavy? I certainly do! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/relationships/dating-marriage/a47553/states-making-divorce-simpler/>