Step 1
Select a Collaborative Lawyer and have an initial consultation about your circumstances. Learn about the options to achieve your needs and interests.
Step 2
Encourage your spouse or partner to learn about Collaborative Practice. Both parties must agree to the voluntary Collaborative settlement process.
Step 3
Once two Collaborative Attorneys are retained, they will work with you to assemble a suitable settlement “Team” with other allied professionals, whenever needed, under your circumstances.
Step 4
The spouses and Collaborative Team begin the collaborative process with a full-group meeting: in-person (or remotely) formally committing to collaboration, working together respectfully and diligently, learning about the parties’ backgrounds and current circumstances, executing required paperwork pledging to avoid adversarial court proceedings, and establishing a timetable for moving forward.
Step 5
Each case then proceeds with delegating “homework”, financial disclosure, identifying common interests and areas of dispute, and scheduling future meetings. This Step is dedicated to helping clients arrive at resolving their division of assets and debts, family support, and parenting of children to their mutual satisfaction.
Step 6
The Team meets for as many sessions as are necessary for the clients to arrive at a complete settlement of all matters to be resolved under their circumstances. The efforts and assistance of the Facilitator/Child Specialist and neutral Financial Advisor are vital at the table or undertaken separately with the clients, whichever works best in any given case.
Step 7
Once a settlement is reached, the Collaborative Attorneys prepare a comprehensive Settlement Agreement for execution by the clients.