Can less be more when you use the collaborative divorce process? Awhile back we gave you 8 reasons to use the 
collaborative divorce process. Let's explore the first reason: that the Collaborative Divorce Law process is designed to be less time consuming, less expensive and less confrontational than traditional adversarial divorce.
Less time consuming. Florida courts say that a contested divorce should take no more than one year. In many areas of the state, however, it can take even longer than that. A collaborative divorce case definitely spends less time in the court system. No pleadings are filed until agreement is reached in all areas, so the only hearing is an uncontested final hearing. That can usually be scheduled within 30 -45 days from when the petition is filed.
Less expensive. The general rule is that time equals money - the longer a case is in the court system, the more expensive it is. You won't spend money for attorney fees for haggling in court with the collaborative process, but you will pay professional fees to the members of the collaborative team. Lawyers focus on the legal work while therapists/coaches focus on assisting you develop skills and plans for
communication, parenting and other challenges for which therapists, not lawyers, are best-trained to provide. Sorting out complex financial situations can be handled with less expense by a collaborative divorce team financial professional, rather than the dueling experts of litigation. When you hire other professionals for the collaborative team and cooperate in the process with an attitude of going forward, your overall cost will likely be less than traditional contested litigation.
Less confrontational. This is probably the biggest difference between the collaborative divorce process and litigation. Litigation encourages an adversarial attitude and you begin to think in terms of "winning" and me vs. her or him. By contrast, the collaborative process is designed to help you both develop a plan for going forward in your life and giving you the opportunity to grow through the divorce transition. The two of you learn new ways to relate as your marriage transitions into a business relationship. This is not to say that you will be merrily skipping down life's path; it is still divorce and there will be stressful, angry times. But the collaborative divorce process is designed to give you skills to cope with the stress and help you minimize those times rather than to develop a win/lose attitude and engage in angry court confrontations.
It seems to us that the collaborative divorce process is less, but so much more for you and your family.
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