How Divorce Lawyers Help with Co-Parenting, What a Typical Divorce Costs, How Much Custody do Dads Get in Colorado, and More with Shea Drefs at Custody X Change | Episode 75

How Divorce Lawyers Can Help Co-Parenting (with Shea Drefs of CustodyXChange)In this episode of Divorce at Altitude, Ryan Kalamaya and Amy Goscha talk with Shea Drefs, Managing Editor at CustodyXChange, about how divorce lawyers can actually improve co-parenting outcomes. Shea breaks down CustodyXChange’s national survey of 1,000 recently divorced parents with child custody cases and shares what the data suggests about lawyers, settlements, shared parenting, costs, and case timelines.Ryan and Shea discuss a key takeaway: cases where both parents had attorneys were most likely to settle and most likely to result in shared/joint parenting time, challenging the stereotype that lawyers always “fuel the fight.” They also cover how income affects access to attorneys and shared parenting outcomes, plus why low-income families may face additional hurdles.Guest InformationShea Drefs is the Managing Editor at CustodyXChange, an online tool that helps co-parents create parenting schedules and plans, track child-related expenses, and organize custody logistics. Shea previously worked as a news reporter and now focuses on divorce and child custody research and reporting.Episode OutlineCustodyXChange’s Survey of 1,000 Divorced Parents What the study measured and why it matters for co-parents.Do Attorneys Help or Hurt Settlement? Why cases with two attorneys were most likely to settle.Attorneys and Shared Parenting Outcomes How representation correlates with joint/shared custody results.Income, Representation, and Parenting Time Why low-income parents are less likely to have attorneys and shared custody.What Divorce Really Costs Median legal/process costs when both, one, or neither parent has a lawyer.How Long Divorces Take Why “one-attorney” cases tended to last the longest.Do Parents Get Along After Divorce? Survey findings on post-divorce co-parenting dynamics.How Kids Adjust After Divorce What respondents reported—and how income may influence outcomes.How CustodyXChange Helps Parenting Plans Calendars, holidays, school schedules, and precise time percentages.Why Visual Schedules Prevent Future Conflict Spotting problems (holidays, breaks, exchanges) before they happen.What is Divorce at Altitude? Ryan Kalamaya and Amy Goscha provide tips and recommendations on issues related to divorce, separation, and co-parenting in Colorado. Ryan and Amy are the founding partners of an innovative and ambitious law firm, Kalamaya | Goscha, that pushes the boundaries to discover new frontiers in family law, personal injuries, and criminal defense in Colorado. To subscribe to Divorce at Altitude, click here and select your favorite podcast player. To subscribe to Kalamaya | Goscha's YouTube channel where many of the episodes will be posted as videos, click here.  If you have additional questions or would like to speak to one of our attorneys, give us a call at 970-429-5784 or email us at [email protected].************************************************************************DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS ON THIS PODCAST IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL ADVICE. CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE OR AREA TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY OF THESE ISSUES.