One alternative to traditional litigation is the collaborative law process. This alternative gives you and your spouse, partner, or co-parent a way to resolve your disputes without going to court. You have the expertise and support of legal representation, without the expense and unknown of going to court. The parties use a series of four-way meetings with their attorneys to resolve the issues.
How Is Collaborative Practice Different From Litigation?
- The parties agree to exchange documents and information informally, without using formal requests for document production, and other discovery methods.
- The parties sign an agreement that they will not go to court, and that both attorneys will withdraw from the case if either party elects to litigate. The parties agree to respect each party’s goals during the process.
- Each party must be represented by a Collaborative attorney. In addition to attorneys, other professionals can be added to the team when their expertise is needed. These experts can be: mental health professionals, child specialists, parenting experts, and financial experts. If needed, the team members help both clients reach agreement using solutions tailored to their case.
Would Collaborative Divorce Work For My Case?
Client must be willing to negotiate with one another face-to-face, with the aid of their attorneys. Collaborative divorce may not be appropriate for cases involving domestic abuse.
Collaborative process can work for a variety of family law cases, including divorce, parenting time, child support, and custody issues.