Option- Collaborative

Collaborative family law is a process where the parties have greater control and need never appear in court.

The traditional collaborative process usually has a team of experts-attorneys, a neutral mental health professional, and a neutral financial.

The team supports the parties in handling all aspects of the divorce- emotional, financial, and legal. One of the best parts of collaborative is you have a highly skilled professional for reach of the three areas.

The collaborative process starts with the parties agreeing this is the process they want, selecting the team of professionals, and entering into a collaborative agreement.

The collaborative agreement is a big part of the process as it sets the tone and understanding for how the collaborative process works.

Each side has his/her own collaboratively trained attorney.  Collaboratively trained attorneys educate, guide, and advocate for their client with the aim to reach a fair settlement. The collaborative attorneys do not litigate the case nor appear in court to get orders. Again, their goal is to reach a fair settlement. This aim is not something parties will always find in litigation where the litigators make more money when parties do not settle.

The neutral mental health professional is not a therapist for the parties, instead s/he helps facilitate productive conversation, supports management of the emotions that arise in the divorce process, and also provides insight and recommendations for parenting plans.

The neutral financial person supports and provides information on asset valuation, asset and division, and information to determine how best to handle support.

If you want to have more control over the process, are willing to be fair, are willing to be transparent, and have no need for emergency temporary orders or concerns over abuse, the collaborative process could be right for you!