Collaborative Divorce Lawyer and Family Law Attorney, Cara Santosuosso, Interviewed on 90.3 IdeaStream’s The Sound of Ideas
Northeast Ohio’s public radio station includes regular segments from The Sound of Ideas, Ideastream Public Media's regionally-focused weekday morning news and information program. The organization is publicly supported and locally owned and prides itself on being a “trusted and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world.” In an effort to strengthen the community and provide aid to individuals who are considering divorce as well as context around the pandemic’s rising divorce rates, The Sound of Ideas included CLS Law’s own Cara Santosuosso in two separate panels of experts on the topic.
Seasonal Spikes in Ohio Divorce Rates
In the 2019 interview, the host focused on the spike in divorce after the winter holidays. According to statistics, divorce rates pick up annually beginning in January, then spiking in February and March. The discussion centered around those seeking divorce without representation. Some individuals may enter into divorce proceedings with the notion that they will conserve scarce assets if they handle their case pro se–"for oneself" or "on behalf of themselves." On this point, Ms. Santosuosso shared her experience in which she encountered an individual in a courthouse who had this notion, but who ended up requesting her help, years later, to fix what went wrong. This is just one example of the importance of investment in good representation when seeking a divorce. There are countless factors to consider and an experienced divorce attorney can anticipate how today’s decisions could yield serious issues five or ten years down the line.
When asked about predatory legal practices, Ms. Santosuosso admitted that “there are those people and there are those lawyers,” but she highlighted her own firm’s concentration and the plain truth she tells her clients: “Your divorce is as unhappy or as painful or as expensive, really, as the parties want to make it.” With that, she was able to explain the difference between litigation and a more collaborative approach to divorce, which is just one of the services her firm offers. She also touched on the evolution of fathers’ rights in the context of divorce in Ohio.
As always, Ms. Santosuosso remained focused during the interview on the welfare of any children involved, along with helping each party to remain financially stable and solution-oriented. Instead of viewing divorce as a battle to be won, she advises clients to focus on problem solving. Partnering with an experienced and specially trained collaborative divorce attorney can help to keep the process as smooth and as painless as possible.
When questioned about how divorce is changing–outside of specific legal considerations that don’t focus on “grounds”–Ms. Santosuosso underscored the importance of finding a divorce lawyer who is a partner, who shares the same philosophy and works to understand their client’s goals. She admits that collaborative divorce isn’t always a speedy solution, and that it can take time to “untangle a life together,” but that working closely with a collaborative divorce attorney gives clients the best opportunity for success. Part of her job is to pinpoint problem areas that clients don’t even know they have so her time and efforts are valuable to their future lives.
Ohio Divorces at a Ten-Year High
In the July 2022 interview, the IdeaStream host centered the discussion on the dramatic rise in Ohio’s divorce rate–the highest in ten years. 2021 saw just under 40,000 divorce cases, a 3.5% jump, but still lower than the roughly 47,000 cases in 2012. Ms. Santosuosso shared what she called a cause and effect reaction, that when individuals were locked down and confined to a limited space due to pandemic restrictions, they found out who their partner really was and this led to many divorces. She saw, as other experts also attested to, a speeding up of the process of individuals contacting her, looking for help to file for a divorce. In fact she was surprised that only about six months into the pandemic–relatively early on–the regularity of these calls intensified. Beyond incompatibility, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health issues, and other critical safety concerns came to the fore as key reasons behind clients’ desire to divorce. She and her colleagues worked to put out fires and keep clients safe while trying to reasonably expedite divorce and separation requests.
Technology proved its value and was a huge help to Ms. Santosuosso and her team at CLS Law as they handled the influx of divorce cases. Zoom was very useful, and they continue to employ technology in order to reduce the logistical burden that traditional methods often present. Instead of needing to take time off of work and find child care for what could end up being a brief meeting with their attorney, her clients can now do this without as much disruption to their daily lives. Docusign has also allowed for far less juggling and more efficient processing of cases. She pushed back on the idea that these advances have made divorce too easy, asserting that a major life change is never easy. Instead, she said that these conveniences help to “bring down the temperature” and that they can remove one of the stressors from an already stressful situation.
Cara Santosuosso has seen many cases in the past few years that centered on issues like pandemic-related healthcare decisions and political affiliations. She understands firsthand how inflammatory these topics can be, especially during a time of such intense social upheaval. As a trained collaborative divorce attorney, Ms. Santosuosso is ready to help clients to keep the welfare of their family and their children front and center, with a goal of resolution and problem solving.
At the Law Offices Of Cara L. Santosuosso, LLC, we know how important stable family relations are for the development and wellbeing of individuals and children. We are focused on helping our clients transition to the next phase of their life, and aim for collaborative efforts that lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. If this sounds like the way forward for you and your partner, we urge you to get in touch with us. We will work hard on your behalf to ensure that your rights are protected and secure. Reach out today for a confidential consultation if you’d like an experienced collaborative divorce attorney to weigh in on your situation.