Collaborative Practice works best for clients who wish to settle without
going to court and are willing to commit to a good faith effort to do so. In Collaborative Practice, you maintain
control over your decision making rather than letting a judge decide. You can also control the amount of
information that becomes a part of the public record (normally, the entire
divorce or other legal file is open to the public, including any allegations
made by either party in obtaining temporary orders or at trial.)
People in conflict often have continuing relationships with each other, as
co-parents, business colleagues, or through their circle of friends and
relatives. Collaborative Practice will
increase the possibility of maintaining a civil or even cordial relationship
with the other person(s) after the resolution of your conflict.
You should also consider Collaborative Practice if you wish to dramatically
reduce your legal fees. A dispute that
goes through the entire legal process including a trial can cost $50,000 and up
for each party. The formal legal
procedures take much more attorney time (and your money) than the informal
process used in Collaborative Practice.
The focus on settlement moves the case to resolution faster than the
typical court-directed case which also can reduce your fees.