Collaborative Divorce Law- What is It?

Divorces can be expensive. Despite the contested nature of traditional litigation, 98% of cases are resolved without having a judge make the decisions. But these resolutions are often made on the eve of the trial, after substantial amounts of time and money have already been spent preparing for trial.

In the course of trial preparations, the parties engage in an adversarial litigation process that is often intrusive, combative, embarrassing and has a corrosive effect on the families involved.

Collaborative Divorce Law is a thoughtful alternative that can reduce the stress, lower the cost and create agreements that are based on your family's unique circumstances - in an environment that doesn't aggravate the underlying issues causing you to seek a dissolution of your marriage.

The goal is to minimize, if not completely eliminate, the negative economic, social and emotional consequences of protracted litigation to the divorcing spouses and their families.

This is particularly helpful to families with children who will remain families by virtue of those children forever. For couples without children who wish to preserve the extended familial relationships and friendships formed over the course of the marriage, or simply wish to honor the relationship they once had with a spouse, collaborative law offers a more humane alternative to traditional adversarial models.

Collaborative Divorce Law is a specific process of contracting with your spouse, the attorneys, and other professionals involved in divorce litigation to meet the goal of minimizing, if not completely eliminating, the negative emotional and financial consequences of divorce. The attorneys and other professionals are specially trained to work toward that goal with the families they serve during a divorce.