What Is Collaborative Divorce?

A Forward-Looking Process

Collaborative divorce is designed to ensure that you, your spouse, and your children make an important and often difficult transition as smoothly as possible.

The collaborative experience enables you, your spouse, and your collaborative lawyers to craft a process and gather together a team of professionals to best meet your unique needs.

In addition to attorneys, you and your spouse may choose to engage the services of a neutral financial professional, trained divorce coaches, and, if children are involved, a child specialist to address the unique needs of your children.

A Commitment to Openness

The hallmarks of collaborative divorce are:

• A signed commitment agreement, in which both you and your spouse agree that you won’t use your collaborative lawyers for future litigation.
• An agreement to fully disclose all relevant information, so that both you and your spouse can make informed decisions.
• A commitment to open and honest interest-based negotiation, fully addressing your needs, and the needs of your spouse and your children.

A Promise to Not Litigate

Removing the threat of litigation helps to foster a climate of truthful, direct communication and sincere cooperation among everyone involved. In this way, collaborative divorce promotes genuine mutual understanding – so important when dealing with the delicate issues surrounding profound family changes.

Within this framework, supported by your attorneys’ experience in family law and problem-solving vision, you and your spouse give each other the freedom to shape your future during and after the divorce.

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