Collaborative Family Law
Under this approach, the couple and their collaboratively trained lawyers agree in writing to negotiate a settlement without going to court.
The parties retain a team of professionals to help them reach agreement. The team may be limited to each party’s collaboratively trained lawyer. But it may also include jointly retained financial and mental/emotional health professionals, depending on the parties’ needs. The professionals help the clients negotiate a legally-binding separation agreement from options developed by the parties themselves.
Bargaining takes place in a way that respects legal rights but also focuses on preserving emotional, family and financial health. If either party calls an end to the collaborative process and goes to court, the collaborative lawyers cannot represent them there.
In other words, if your collaborative lawyer doesn’t help you, they lose you as a client. This incentive keeps the lawyers focused on deal-making instead of fighting.
