Benefits of Collaboration
Some of the advantages of collaborative law include:
- 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. The parties are not held up waiting for scheduling on court calendars.
- Team Approach. At the beginning of a collaborative law matter, the parties each choose a collaborative attorney, and the 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. This can be particularly valuable for couples with children who will continue to communicate regularly as co-parents after a divorce.
The benefits of collaborative law described above make it a good choice for resolving conflicts where the parties have a family or interpersonal relationship that could benefit from a non-adversarial approach. Collaborative law is used most commonly to help parties divorce and can also be used in other situations.
Examples of the types of conflicts that may be resolved through mediation include:
- divorce
- premarital agreements
- post-divorce conflicts
- probate disputes