Why a Collaborative Divorce could be right for you:
Collaborative Divorce is for parents who want to protect their children from the collateral damage that may result in divorce. The stress, conflict and uncertainty that are present in a divorce or separation can be risk factors for compromised child development.
Collaborative Divorce offers divorcing or separating parents an opportunity to create their own post-divorce parenting relationship. With the guidance and help of the Collaborative Team which includes a Mental Health Professional, the participants craft a parenting plan together, prioritizing the children’s best interests. This approach allows the family the opportunity to control the process, potentially mitigating the stress and uncertainty that comes from a contested divorce.
The value of privacy can hardly be overstated for many couples. The Collaborative Process allows couples facing divorce and others who are terminating their relationships, to keep their family matters private. The Process is expressly designed to keep couples out of Court and out of the public record.
The Collaborative Process commences before any action is filed in Court. It is a private matter between the participants and their professional team, guided by private contracts. There are no hearings or depositions. All meetings are held in the offices of the Collaborative Professionals. Collaborative Divorce allows the participants to exchange information and documentation in a private forum with transparency and trust facilitated by their professional team.
If a Collaborative Agreement is reached, then an uncontested dissolution of marriage action can be initiated by the participants. It is initiated by the filing of a petition for dissolution of marriage by one participant or by both participants jointly. Even then, efforts are made to minimize public record filings and to preserve privacy as much as possible.
Collaborative Divorce helps participants reach a settlement in a cost-effective manner while attempting to preserve family resources and the relationship between the separating spouses or partners. Making good financial decisions during the divorce process is crucial step towards achieving a positive and equitable outcome that each spouse or partner can live with.
The role of the Financial Professional in the Collaborative Divorce is to be neutral, while guiding the clients to make informed financial decisions based on the transparent disclosure of the participants’ existing financial condition and resources.
Collaborative Divorce has no winners and losers. It is about separating spouses or partners working together towards an agreement that leaves them as whole as possible and minimizes emotional and financial trauma.
The Collaborative Process can present a less disruptive end to a marital or partner relationship that can enable participants to move constructively into their future lives. Since the Collaborative Divorce team works together in a non-adversarial manner to propose solutions, the participants have the opportunity to transition their relationship in as positive a manner as possible.