COLLABORATIVE LAW

A collaborative team approach to Premarital Agreements or Divorce offers legal, financial and mental health expertise. As a collaborative attorney, we will be your advocate without being adversarial and we will help guide you through the process to reach a resolution that works for your family.

How Collaborative Law Works

  • Form the Collaborative Team.  We identify and choose the other professionals who will form the collaborative team. Team members might include individuals coaches for each party or one neutral coach, a neutral financial expert, and neutral mental health professionals, such as a child specialist.
  • Gather Information and Identify Issues.  We gather information about your situation and identify decisions you have already made and issues that remain.
  • Discuss Issues.  We work to identify and understand each of your needs and interests. Having a better understanding of each party’s needs clears the way to creative solutions.
  • Identify and Evaluate Options.  We brainstorm options and then evaluate to see which best meets your needs.
  • Make Decisions. Once we have explored all of the options, you are then in a position to make decisions that are the best solutions for your situation.
  • Formalize Agreement. The collaborative attorneys then work together to draft a legal and binding agreement to reflect the decisions you have made.
A hand catching falling puzzle pieces. Problem solving concept. See my gallery for more.
Group of people with their hands together in the middle isolated - teamwork concepts

Benefits of Collaborative Law

  • Control.  The parties decide for themselves what is best for their situation, allowing them to craft solutions that are tailored to their unique situation.
  • Privacy.  The parties meet in a private, comfortable setting that encourages a collaborative, non-adversarial experience.
  • Collaboration.  Because the approach is collaborative rather than adversarial, collaborative law allows for a result that satisfies both parties’ needs without pitting one against the other.
  • Timing.  Collaborative law proceeds according to the schedule that the parties choose rather than waiting for scheduling on court calendars.
  • Team Approach.  The parties each choose a collaborative attorney, and they identify and choose other specialists as needed in their particular situation. Specialists may include coaches, child specialists and financial advisors. The team works together to provide the parties with support on all aspects of their matter.
  • Communication.  In addition to resolving the issues being faced, collaborative law can create a new dynamic that improves future interactions.