Collaborative Divorce

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Divorce is hard on families.  The trauma that families experience during the process of dissolving a marriage can linger for months or even years after the final order has been signed by the judge.  This is especially true when the couple divorcing shares children.

However, there is better way.

Collaborative Divorce is a private, out-of-court, client-centered approach to ending your marriage.  The goal of the Collaborative Process is to find solutions that work for both spouses, while preserving the relationships the clients cherish.  With the guidance of collaborative attorneys and allied professionals, the parties will negotiate an end to their marriage in a safe and private setting.  The advantage of the Collaborative Process is that it can address the legal, financial, and emotional needs of the parties involved.

Privacy

Privacy is important.  In a collaborative divorce, the parties can discuss and negotiate in private with the guidance of their Collaborative Attorneys and other professionals.  Privacy allows the parties to negotiate in a safe, open, and cooperative manner.  This level of privacy is difficult to achieve with a traditional courtroom divorce.  This way, relationships, feelings, and reputations remained intact.

Out-of-Court Solutions

One of the defining features of Collaborative Divorce is that the process takes place outside of the courtroom.  The threat of litigation is removed from the decision making process.  This means no contested hearing in which facts about your case will be available to the public.  It means you are not subject to court-imposed deadlines and schedules.  The parties can plan meetings around their schedule, minimizing that impact that the divorce will have on their careers and lives.  At the conclusion of the Collaborative Process, one short uncontested hearing may be required to receive the final order from the judge.

Client-Centered Approach

The Collaborative Process is a client-centered approach to ending your marriage.  This means that we don't just focus on the issues that require resolving; we also focus on the people involved in the process.  The spouses retain control over the process, with guidance from the Collaborative team.  The Collaborative model of divorce allows you and your spouse to bring in a third party mental health professional to act as a facilitator to help the parties process emotions and communicate in an productive manner.  The Collaborative model can also provide the flexibility to bring in a financial professional to assist in evaluating and negotiating property settlements, alimony, and child support.  

There are many models and approaches that can be utilized in the Collaborative Process, including the two-attorney model (each party is represented by an Attorney and the Facilitator model (each party is represented by an Attorney, and the spouses joint retain a neutral mental health professional to moderate discussions and negotiations.  There are countless other models, and your collaborative team can be designed with you and your families needs in mind.

At Coastal Collaborative Family Law, we can evaluate your case to see if Collaborative Divorce is right for you.  Schedule your 30 minute consultation today!