Choosing Collaborative Law

Collaborative Law is not the best option for everyone. The best candidates for the collaborative process are parties who:

1. want a civilized, respectful resolution of the issues.
2. would like to keep open the possibility of a friendship with the other party.
3. will be co-parenting children together and want the best co-parenting relationship possible.
4. want to protect their children from the harm associated with protracted, contested litigation.
5. have a circle of friends and family in common.
6. have ethical or spiritual beliefs that place high value on personal responsibility and integrity.
7. value privacy in personal affairs.
8. 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).
9. 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).
10. 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.
11. understand that conflict resolution with integrity involves achieving mutual, reasonable goals.