Collaborative Divorce

A collaborative divorce is an approach in which a team of professionals (including attorneys, therapists and consultants) works together to help a couple end their marriage as peacefully and amicably as possible.  This method involves each party signing a formal agreement in which they agree to make a good faith attempt to reach a settlement without going to court (except to present the final agreement) and without having a judge or commissioner render a decision on the issues at any time throughout the divorce process.  From the outset, the parties agree that all pertinent financial information will be voluntarily shared.  A collaborative divorce may also involve other neutral professionals. One such professional is a divorce financial planner, he or she will help the team resolve financial issues and create a plan for financial stability in the future. Another professional utilized in the collaborative divorce is a child specialist.  A specialist will work with parents to create a plan detailing how decisions will be made and how time with children will be shared. The collaborative divorce approach can be beneficial, especially in case where the special needs of a child require creative solutions. The tools of the collaborative process can and are frequently used in traditional cases as well.  One significant difference is that in a collaborative process the parties agree that in the event either or both parties opt out of the collaborative process they are required under the terms of their collaborative agreement to obtain new legal counsel.