Download your free Collaborative Divorce Knowledge Kit. This kit answers many of the common questions about Collaborative Practice. You’ll learn about real families — families like yours — who used the Collaborative model, and see how it benefited them.
To find out more, click here to download your kit.
The Collaborative Divorce Knowledge Kit (1.71MB) is in PDF format. If you do not have Adobe’s free PDF reader on your computer, you can download it here.
- Lauren M., Brooklyn, NY
Thank you for downloading the 12 page Collaborative Practice Knowledge Kit. which contains:
If you feel this information would be helpful to a friend or family member we encourage you to freely distribute it.
If you would like to speak with a Collaborative Professional in your area, you can use the Collaborative Professional Locator on our website at: CollaborativePractice.com.
Collaborative Practice is a new way for you to resolve disputes respectfully-without going to court-while working with trained professionals who are important to al) areas of your life. The term incorporates al) of the models developed since IACP's Minnesota lawyer Stu Webb created Collaborative Law ideas in the 1980s.
The heart of Collaborative Practice is to offer you and your spouse or partner the support, protection, and guidance of your own lawyers without going to court. Additionally, Collaborative Practice allows you the benefit of child and financial specialists, divorce coaches and other professionals all working together on your team.
You and your spouse control the process and make final decisions
Judge controls the process and makes final decisions
You and your spouse pledge mutual respect and openness
Court process is based on an adversarial system
Costs are manageable, usually less expensive than litigation; team model is financially efficient in use of experts
Costs are unpredictable and can escalate rapidly including frequency of post-judgment litigation
You and your spouse create the timetable
Judge sets the timetable; often delays given crowded court
Jointly retained specialists provide information and guidance helping you and your spouse develop informed, mutually beneficial solutions
Separate experts are hired to support the litigants' positions, often at great expense to each
Your lawyers work toward a mutually created settlement
Lawyers fight to win, but someone loses
The process, discussion and negotiation details are kept private
Dispute becomes a matter of public record and, sometimes, media attention
Team of Collaborative Practice specialists educate and assist you and your spouse on how to effectively communicate with each other
No process designed to facilitate communication
Voluntary
Mandatory if no agreement
You and your spouse communicate directly with the assistance of members of your team
You and your spouse negotiate through your lawyers
Outside court
Court-based