Key Advantages

  • Parties retain control. Though each party has a lawyer, the parties take responsibility for shaping the settlement as the key members of the team.
  • Parties gain support. The parties craft the settlement cooperatively with each other while benefiting from their attorney’s advocacy, problem-solving, and negotiating skills. Also, parties receive insight and support from other professionals who assist in identifying their interests and their children’s needs.
  • Parties can focus on settlement. Removing the threat of “going to court” reduces anxiety and fear, thereby helping the parties focus on finding positive solutions.
  • Parties lay groundwork for a better future. There is no pain-free way to end a marriage/relationship, but by reducing stress, working in a climate of cooperation, and treating each other with respect, the parties are creating an environment in which they and their children can thrive.
  • Parties get more from their resources. The collaborative process is usually less costly and time-consuming than litigation. When parties reach an agreement, it can be finalized within a shorter time frame. Parties do not get bogged down for months while you wait for a court date.
  • Parties negotiate a better settlement. Every family is unique and every family deserves a unique solution to the issues raised in a separation or divorce proceeding. The collaborative process produces final agreements that are frequently more detailed and complete than any order that would be issued by a judge after a contested court proceeding.
  • Parties can improve their relationship with one another and can prevent destruction of relationships with others. Grandparents, neighbors, co-workers and friends are not forced to pick sides, testify in court, etc.
  • Parties are less likely to need court intervention in the future as they have created their agreement and they have developed the skills and the attitude to work with each other when future problems arise.