Collaborative Law is a transparent client-centered process where the parties and their collaborative team work together exclusively toward settlement. Each client is represented by a collaboratively trained and experienced lawyer. Allied professionals, such as a facilitator or financial or child specialists, may join the team as needed. The sole focus is to assist the parties in working through the complex information gathering and trade-offs required to reach a compromised settlement on all issues.

Your Collaborative Law case occurs with commitment to a non-litigated solution. Removing the “long shadow of the courthouse” from your case allows the parties to problem-solve based upon what they choose and not “what would a judge do?” At the outset the parties agree that they will work to provide full, honest and open disclosure of all relevant information and cooperate to resolve issues without resorting to litigation. If the matter should go to court, the lawyers are disqualified from the case. Specialists may be disqualified or not based on signed stipulations.

In the family law arena, Collaborative Law is effectively used to resolve divorce, separation, and parenting issues as well as to develop or resolve prenuptial or nuptial agreements and other family-based contract issues. 4-way meetings (attorneys and parties) are the primary method of negotiation so that communication is clear and the solution belongs to the parties.

The outcome of the vast majority of collaborative divorce cases is a settlement that both parties agree is a fair solution for each of them.