Choosing Collaborative Law
Collaborative Law is not the best option for everyone. The best candidates for the collaborative process are parties who:
- want a civilized, respectful resolution of the issues.
- would like to keep open the possibility of a friendship with the other party.
- will be co-parenting children together and want the best co-parenting relationship possible.
- want to protect their children from the harm associated with protracted, contested litigation.
- have a circle of friends and family in common.
- have ethical or spiritual beliefs that place high value on personal responsibility and integrity.
- value privacy in personal affairs.
- value control and autonomous decision-making and do not want to hand over decisions about financial distribution and/or child-rearing arrangements to a stranger (i.e., a judge).
- recognize the restricted range of outcomes generally available in the court system, and want a more creative and individualized range of choices available for resolving your issues (provided such are compliant with all rules and guidelines).
- place as much or more value on the relationships that will exist in the restructured family situation versus a priority of obtaining the maximum possible amount of assets.
- understand that conflict resolution with integrity involves achieving mutual, reasonable goals.