Few legal procedures are more emotionally charged than divorce. Former couples often bring the worst out in one another as they contentiously divide their assets in the presence of lawyers. According to the startup Wevorce, however, ending a marriage shouldn’t place such a large strain on anyone’s finances or feelings. Instead, the company hopes to transform divorce from a drawn-out legal nightmare into a civil, streamlined division of property and possessions.
For those who have experienced the devastating effects of divorce firsthand, Wevorce’s mission may seem as impossible as putting the Empire State Building on Pluto. But founder Michelle Crosby claims that her service removes the distress from divorce by making the process collaborative rather than competitive. In standard divorce proceedings, each spouse hires their own lawyer to represent their interests. This can create an environment where each side grows increasingly bitter towards the other until the whole matter ends up in front of a judge.
Wevorce, on the other hand, stays out of court by teaming up former couples with “divorce architects” to determine the best course of action for all parties. These legally trained representatives work closely with clients to negotiate each legal, financial and emotional aspect of their uncoupling in a cooperative manner. The company’s specialized software guides every step of this process to ensure that discussions proceed smoothly and costs remain low. While the average U.S. divorce costs $27,000, Wevorce usually charges less than a third of that. So far the company has handled more than 100 divorces, 99 percent of which stayed out of court. With this proven record along with millions of dollars from venture capitalists, Wevorce could provide some competition to the lawyer-dominated divorce industry in the years to come.
Questions:
- Do you believe that Wevorce can actually make divorce a less painful experience?
- Why does a standard divorce cost so much?
Source: Maya Kosoff, “There’s A Startup That Will Help You Get Divorced Super Fast, And It Just Raised $3 Million,” Business Insider, January 27, 2016; Colleen Taylor, “Wevorce Gets $1.7 Million To Use Technology To Make Divorce Less Messy,” TechCrunch, November 21, 2013. Photo by Tom Bullock.