Collaborative Law: A Low-Conflict Alternative

Not all divorce & custody matters are contentious. When parties choose to work with one another amicably, resolutions are often faster and more affordable. Even better, amicable resolutions reduce the stress that accompanies family law matters.

When divorce and custody matters are hotly contested, Judges are forced to intervene and make decisions that will impact both parties. As you might imagine, people are rarely happy with Orders that are forced upon them. Families who work together collaboratively toward a solution maintain more power over the outcome of their case.

Our attorneys believe collaboration is the ideal way to resolve a family matter. We want our clients to reach solutions that work for them with the least amount of stress. That’s why our team has joined the Collaborative Family Law Institute-so that we can offer clients a low-conflict alternative to the adversarial process.

If you would like to learn more about the collaborative process and how it may benefit you, read on for more specific information.

What is Collaborative Law?

Collaborative law is a great option for divorce, post-divorce or paternity actions where the parties involved are able to remain civil with each other so that they can reach a common goal. The collaborative strategy is rising in popularity because it can help to reduce the overall cost and time-expense of a traditional divorce, post-divorce and paternity actions while achieving better results for each party and the family overall. The collaborative strategy is also preferred by some for its discreet and private nature, as collaborative divorces, post-divorce or paternity actions are resolved outside of a courtroom. In a collaborative law approach, we work with you, the other party, and any specialists such as financial advisors, co-parenting therapist, family heath facilitators and mental health professionals when needed, to come up with a settlement agreement that everyone is happy with and is tailored to the needs of that family. Whenever possible, this is the ideal way to resolve a family law matter as it leaves all parties and the family involved in as strong a position as possible after the family law matter is over.

There are several low-conflict divorce, post-divorce and paternity options, in addition to use of Collaborative law that can provide great results for parties to a divorce, post-divorce or paternity action. These options include using dispute-resolution tools like mediation and arbitration, where the parties meet together with a neutral third-party intended to help negotiate a fair agreement. The vast majority of divorces, post-divorces and paternity actions today go through some type of low-conflict solution, as that is what Florida courts recommend for most family law cases and matters, and they usually yield more positive results, as the parties are able to craft a resolution that works best for them.

How Will it Benefit Me?

Collaborative law:

• Reduces the overall cost of a traditional divorce/custody action
• Reduces the time involved to reach a resolution in a divorce or custody case
• Achieves better results for each party and their family, overall
• Is a more discrete and private process because agreements are made outside of a courtroom
• Leads to results that are more tailored to your family’s needs
• Enables each party to have more control over the outcome of their family matter