Collaborative Alternatives

IS A COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE THE RIGHT CHOICE?

It may be, if:

1. You want an opportunity to obtain emotional, financial and legal help to guide you through your divorce.
2. You are concerned about containing the costs of divorce
3. You have children and want to make sure that their needs are addressed.
4. You want to contain the conflict that often accompanies divorce.
5. You wish a confidential process without adversarial attorneys and without going to trial.

The Collaborative Divorce team may consist of:

1. A Collaborative Law attorney for each individual.
2. A divorce counselor for each individual.
3. A child counselor.
4. A financial counselor.

Collaborative Law Attorneys: Each spouse has his/her own Collaborative Law attorney. These attorneys are pledged to help you through your divorce by working cooperatively with you and the Collaborative Divorce team. They are committed to protecting your rights, but serve as true "counselors"-educating, mediating, and facilitating your legal process. Your Collaborative Law attorney will meet with you individually as well as in four-way meetings with you and your partner and his/her Collaborative Law attorney.

Collaborative Divorce Counselors: Usually you will have your own counselor, with a male counselor for the husband and a female for the wife. Occasionally couples elect to have only one counselor. Your counselor will coach you through the process and work with you to help reduce the stress and strain of the divorce. He/she will meet with you individually and together to develop communication skills that will help you during and after your divorce.

Child Counselor: Because children are affected in different ways by a divorce, the child counselor meets with each of your children to see the divorce through your children's eyes and assess you how your child is doing. The counselor then meets with both of you to give you feedback, answer any questions you may have, and give you input to help you design a parenting plan that fits your unique needs.

Financial Counselor: helps you gather and organize financial information needed for the divorce process. The financial counselor also helps you determine your immediate and long-term budgets and sort out confusing financial information. As a neutral facilitator, he/she can help you discuss your finances so you are fully aware of your financial resources. Depending on your preferences, the counselor will meet with you jointly or separately.

All team members work together to make the divorce process as easy as possible. Each is a specialist in his/her own field and thus can maximize your resources to minimize time and money for you . Each hour is spent working directly with you or on your case. Thus there are no "billable hours" wasted with extraneous paperwork or sitting in court.

You may choose a part or all of the team to help you with your divorce. Counselors can help you decide which specialists are best suited to your individual needs.