Collaborative Family Law - a peaceful alternative

Couples facing separation have many challenges, especially when children are involved. Most don't want to go to court, nor do they want the conflict that often accompanies traditional settlement processes. Collaborative family law removes the judge and the courtroom  the equation and aims to empower the client to negotiate, minimise conflict and anxiety, avoid delay and enable everyone to move on with their lives.

The key features of the collaborative approach are:

• No court - both parties and their lawyers agree to resolve issues without going to court
• Constructive negotiation - both parties agree up-front on how the process will be conducted
• Your lawyer is there at all stages to advise you and support you through the process
• A mutual approach - settlement is reached in 4-way face to face meetings to facilitate the best outcome for both parties
• Transparency - all negotiations are conducted in the presence of both parties. Lawyers do not negotiate on your behalf outside the meetings
• Full disclosure - both parties undertake to be completely open about financial and child-related issues
• Empowering - both parties, not the courts, determine the pace of the process
• Future-focused - the collaborative process is about moving forward, not attributing blame
• Flexible - additional experts, such as financial advisors and psychologists, are brought in to assist on specific issues
• Efficient - the collaborative process is generally quicker than other processes and it is less expensive than court.
• Proven results - collaborative family law is nearly 20 years old and is fast growing in popularity in the USA, Canada, England, Europe and Australia. READ MORE