The collaborative law approach allows couples to end marriages with civility and respect, making decisions together to help create the best post-divorce life possible for all family members. If you agree with the following statements, collaborative law provides you with a better, smarter alternative to a traditional courtroom divorce:
You have control of your own divorce process and outcome.
You seek a civil, respectful, creative and individual process for ending your marriage.
You recognize the importance of future relationships - even after divorce.
You believe it is important to protect children from the harm litigation can inflict.
You place a high value on personal responsibility for handling conflict with integrity.
What is Collaborative Law?
Collaborative law provides divorcing couples an innovative, cost-effective alternative to a traditional courtroom divorce.
It provides the convenience, privacy, autonomy, and safe space to facilitate a settlement tailored to the unique needs and situation of the divorcing couple and their family.
It also allows financial and mental health professionals familiar with the collaborative law process to help divorcing couples come to agreement.
Collaborative law seeks solutions allowing each person impacted by a divorce - especially children - to have the best post-divorce lives possible.
It's Cost-Conscious
Collaborative law is a more cost-effective process than a traditional divorce, structured so divorcing couples work with collaborative professionals to resolve financial, parenting, and other pertinent issues. It's a process allowing couples to invest directly in solutions rather than costly litigation.
It's Personalized
In collaborative law, control isn't ceded to a judge unfamiliar with a family's unique circumstances. Instead, the divorcing couple works with collaborative professionals -- and without court interference -- to arrive at an informed solution designed to deliver the most positive outcome possible for the family.
It's Confidential
Collaborative professionals control a confidential process -- in an office rather than a courtroom setting -- that provides the resources, structure and privacy needed for a divorcing couple to consider their unique circumstances and arrive at a mutually-agreeable settlement.
It's Convenient
Collaborative law operates on a family's schedule. Couples have the flexibility to schedule meetings with their collaborative team when all participants are best able to meet.
It's Family-focused
Parents divorcing collaboratively are better able to protect their children from the damaging effects of a highly contentious divorce and preserve more of their mutual respect for each other as parents.
The Collaborative Law approach is a settlement process that focuses on helping families find their way to respectful resolution, creating a safe environment for the parties to express, negotiate and resolve conflict without going to court.
The Collaborative Law process recognizes even though a marriage may be ending, relationships and obligations often continue, especially when children are involved. It allows spouses to formulate agreements that focus on their most important individual and mutual goals. This process helps all family members move forward in a positive way - focused on the future, rather than dwelling on arguments and disputes of the past.