Non-Adversarial

In Collaborative Practice, both spouses have their own collaborative attorney. An accurate way to see the role of CP attorneys is to think of them as co-mediators rather than as traditional attorneys. The CP attorneys work as a team-each working with one spouse directly-guiding, and supporting their client. While all decisions are made, the attorneys keep the clients oriented to the values and principles of the collaborative process and the agreed upon goals articulated by the clients at the beginning of the process. A Collaborative attorney's objective is to help the clients communicate in a way that promotes understanding of the other person's point of view in order to facilitate interest-based negotiating. Collaborative Practice is an excellent option for clients who would like to use a non-adversarial process, but because of issues ranging from personal preference to concerns about trust, feel that one mediator could not provide enough support.

Interdisciplinary

Collaborative Practice serves clients by taking an interdisciplinary approach to divorce. Divorce is not just a legal process. Divorce is an emotional transition, a life transition, a financial transition, and yes, a legal transition. Collaborative Practice is structured to let professionals, that are highly trained in each area, do what they do best, giving families the most efficient and accurate guidance. Traditionally, divorce attorneys wear all the hats, charging high fees for it all. In contrast, Collaborative Practice attorneys leave the non-legal aspects of a family's care to experts who are highly trained in the various areas and are usually less expensive.

Family- and Child-Centered

For instance, each spouse also may engage a divorce coach. A collaborative divorce coach is a mental health professional trained in the Collaborative Practice process. A coach's responsibility is to give the spouses the communication skills necessary to negotiate their own divorce and also, if the people have children, to co-parent effectively during the divorce transition and later as a two-household family. Having coaches involved in the process keeps attention focused on the needs of the children. It also means the task of teaching communication skills and assessing children's needs is in the hands of trained professionals specializing in those areas. Often, coaching also helps the legal part of the process move more efficiently, making coaching essential, not only for its expert guidance, but for its cost efficiency.

Team Support

Other experts are used at the discretion of each family: child specialists, financial specialists, business evaluators, and even collaborative forensic accountants. Each collaborative team assembles around the needs of each individual family.

Collaborative Practice is a sophisticated process with the structure to support and guide even a high conflict couple through the divorce transition. Collaborative Practice uses the divorce transition to build a solid foundation for future co-parenting or respectful resolution.