Collaborative Divorce
PRESERVING FAMILY & FINANCES
Ending a marriage is never easy. Traditional divorce is usually thought of exclusively as a legal process; you hire a lawyer to advocate for your positions and go to court if a settlement cannot be reached. Once legal paperwork officially ends the marriage, many couples with children have to figure out on their own how to interact on behalf of their children.
The collaborative family law process, on the other hand, allows you to resolve disputes with the guidance of attorneys and other professionals who are trained in the art of principled negotiation. In other words, our professionals at Win Win Divorce can help. We have been providing guidance and support for individuals and families with this team approach since 1998.
Ready to learn more about how you can resolve your divorce by working with instead of against your spouse? Schedule a consultation with a collaborative divorce professional in Columbus by contacting us online or at (614) 505-4530.
In the collaborative divorce process, you and your spouse will establish your interests and goals and talk with each other to make decisions together. These are decisions for yourself and your family that will affect you both during and after your divorce. The collaborative process keeps the decision-making control in your hands rather than with a stranger (whether a judge or magistrate) because who wants a stranger making decisions for you or your family? With a successful collaborative family law process case, you will leave with a plan on how to productively interact as co-parents as you move forward.
More Than a Legal Process
Divorce is much more than a legal process. It is an emotional, spiritual, and financial journey that includes a legal component. Just as marriage is much more than a marriage license, the process of divorce is far more than a judge simply signing the Decree of Divorce or Decree of Dissolution.
The Win Win Divorce brings together not just lawyers, but also financial professionals, mental health practitioners, and real estate appraisers. All our members have completed basic collaborative law training, and many have regularly attended advanced training.
What is Collaborative Family Law?
In this process, both you and a soon-to-be ex-spouse agree to resolve your disagreements reasonably and respectfully without resorting to adversarial court proceedings. Negotiations will focus on both of your interests (known as interest-based negotiation).
These interests are the important issues you care about and the concerns you have moving forward. Understanding these will help guide the professional team in moving you both to a final agreement, based on your needs. These negotiations take place in private (the atmosphere is one of honesty, transparency, cooperation, and integrity), looking at the future well-being of you and your family members.
Lawyers and neutral coaches, child specialists (mental health professionals), and financial professionals (CPAs, CDFAs, and CFPs) are all part of your professional team and may be consulted and involved as necessary based on your situation and circumstances. This interdisciplinary method facilitates creative resolutions tailored by you for your family.
Requirements to Begin on the Collaborative Road
To begin, all parties must sign a collaborative participation agreement. You and your spouse will need to seek representation from collaborative family lawyers. Hopefully, you will both choose attorneys who have had collaborative training.
The collaborative family law process is transparent. You must agree to make timely, full, candid, transparent, and informal disclosure of information related to the collaborative matter. This will occur without formal discovery (as occurs in litigation). This also requires that information is updated promptly when material changes arise along the way.
Communications with lawyers in the collaborative family law process are privileged, as they are in other legal matters. But privileged communications also extend to those made between the parties and nonparties designated to participate in the process, such as financial professionals and family coaches.
A Series of Manageable Tasks
The process moves forward through a series of manageable tasks. Separation or divorce can be like other challenging life transitions, holding the promise of transformation, growth, and healing.
The goal of collaborative team practice is to help families or couples create the strongest possible foundation for the future as two households are established. This process aids clients in each aspect of the process: emotional, relational, financial, and legal.
Smoothing the Road to Co-Parenting
For parents, the process focuses on building effective co-parenting communication and decision-making skills. Children and their ideas may also be honored in the process. Neutral expertise in areas of financial decision-making, co-parenting, and creating a developmentally responsive parenting plan surrounds the counsel of each client’s collaborative attorney.
Talk to a Win Win Divorce Team Member Today
Our organization has built a strong reputation for providing an alternative to divorce that is more humane, less costly in terms of financial outlay and emotional stability, less time-consuming, and more able to equip you for the future as a single person and co-parent. The collaborative divorce team process can streamline problem-solving and often leads to more creative options tailored to meet your family’s unique needs.
Because you and your ex-spouse have created the terms and arrangements of your divorce through this process, cooperation by both sides in complying with these terms is much more likely as you move forward. This makes for a better post-divorce life for you and your spouse as well as your children.
To learn more about how we can help you at this critical time, send us an email or call (614) 505-4530.
