Articles under Collaborative Dissolution

The Collaborative Process Works

When the Collaborative Process Works

The collaborative process is not for every family, but when it is, the tools it provides allows for contemplative and imaginative opportunities for families to create their own road map for their new futures. The use of financial neutrals and coaches allow people to control their own settings, time frames and expenses. With the backing of the collaborative team, finances and parenting issues are crafted for the best fit for each family. The how’s and why’s of when the Collaborative Process works were discussed in depth with the help of Collaborative Law Fellow attorney Sandra Crawford in the 9^th Podcast Edition of the Collaborative Resolution Project. https://collaborativeresolutionproject.com/2019/06/05/crp-9-the-collaborative-process-what-works-why/

Sometimes The Collaborative Process Just Works

The Collaborative Process: When It Works

Not all families are right for the Collaborative Process. It requires two people who are looking to communicate with a support team to arrive at agreements that will address their parenting agreements and schedule and the distribution of their incomes and assets. Some couples are just not in a place to be able to have those types of discussions. But when they are and they are involved with a Collaborative Team, even when things are hard, the process just works. Jason Sposeep, Schiller DuCanto and Fleck partner, helps discuss when and why it works in the Collaborative Resolution Project podcast number 7:The Collaborative Resolution Project pod cast number 7

Divorce: Litigation v. Collaboration

The Collaborative Process Takes A Much Different Path For Your Family Than Litigation

A family beginning the divorce process is often in the midst of turmoil and entangled in uncertainty. Questions like: What do we do? How do we get out of this? How do we start? What will it look like? What will happen to the kids? What will happen to our stuff? What will happen to my relationship with the kids? How much will it cost? How long will it take? How nasty will it get? Those answers differ drastically depending on which path through divorce you choose. The Collaborative Process is starkly different from litigation.

A Child Specialist Provides Tremendous Guidance On The Collaborative Team

On a collaborative team involving a family with minor children, a Child Specialist can be an invaluable addition. Child Specialists are specially trained collaborative mental health professionals whose specific job on the team is to give a voice to the children. Unlike a Coach, who primarily focuses on the parents, the Child Specialist works directly with the children providing them a safe space in the family transition and a seat at the collaborative table.

The Child Specialist meets with the kids and forms a relationship as a messenger for their best interest in the process. He or she talks with them about their goals, concerns, fears, anxieties and general feelings about the divorce and the changes occurring. Most often, those discussions will be helpful in working with the parents to formulate parenting plans and times. With a wealth of experience dealing with families and children in their practices, the Child Specialists provide a tremendous compass for the team when navigating the parental decision making and parenting time discussions that can often times become difficult and emotional.

Dr. Beth Wilner provides fantastic insight into the role of the Child Specialist in the 6th edition of the Collaborative Resolution Podcast:https://collaborativeresolutionproject.com/2019/02/08/crp-6-the-child-specialist-in-the-collaborative-process/

Financial Neutrals Are Invaluable On A Collaborative Team

The role of the Financial Neutral in a collaborative case is invaluable to the parties and the attorneys. A major contributor to the team, the Financial Neutral does the heavy lifting in gathering all of the financial information for the martial estate. Generally, they’ll meet and confer with the parties off-line (without attorneys) to assess the assets and debts the team will be dealing with. Those discussions mature into the exchange of documents like tax returns, paystubs, bank statements, account statements and any other information that will allow the neutral to obtain a clear picture of the marital estate. This work is done only by the neutral at usually a much less hourly rate than the attorneys (who would each charge to perform the same tasks in a litigated case) saving the parties a substantial expense. Read More »

The Collaborative Process

There are many facets to a Collaborative Dissolution. The focus of the process is on the best interest of the family, not on any particular party. The discussions are team driven and needs based rather than positional bargaining looking for a winner or a loser. When a family is in the right place to have open and transparent talks about how to create their story after the divorce, the Collaborative Process can make a tremendous difference financially and emotionally. Read More »

The Collaborative Divorce Participation Agreement

So many clients contemplating a collaborative divorce wonder, if they can’t cooperate during their marriage, how are they going to collaborate to get divorced. The instability and chaos people usually feel at this point of their decision making is unsettling. How much will a divorce cost? How long will it take? Can I keep the house? What will my parenting time look like? The questions run fast and the answers not fast enough.

The uncertainty can sometimes be tamed by focusing on common interests. Almost always when meeting new clients, they can agree generally on several important things: the kids should be impacted as little as possible, they should spend as little as necessary in divorcing, they are concerned about their finances going forward, they are concerned about how the family dynamic will look when it’s over. Those common goals and concerns can be the focal point used to collaborate in a divorce despite the feeling of non-cooperation in the marriage. Read More »

Articles under Collaborative Dissolution

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