Welcome to Life and Legal Matters
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A Different Way...An Alternative to the Fight
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Let's begin with something both can agree on: self-respect.
The end of a marriage or other relationships can be devastating. You and your spouse or partner may come to see each other as enemies and the divorce as a battleground. Feelings of confusion, anger, loss and conflict make it difficult to see a hopeful future afterwards. But there is a way out and up; a constructive alternative. Mutual respect is fundamental to this higher road, this replacement for the anger and hopelessness associated with lawyers and the courts.
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An Approach Focused on You
You and your partner keep control of the decisions yourselves, rather than giving it up to a judge. This method leads to an out-of-court resolution. Through Collaboration, the goal is to develop effective relationships, solve problems jointly, and prevent a costly court battle.
If this seems impossible, the well-established lawyer-oriented process is always available to you. |
A Collaborative Model
Collaboration is a reasonable approach to seemingly non-resolvable issues and is based on three principles:
• A pledge not to go to court • An honest exchange of information by both parties; and • A solution that takes into account the highest priorities of both adults and their children. |
You are not alone
You may feel isolated and alone, unsure of where to turn for support and advice. Unlike the conventional legal process, Collaboration offers you a team of skilled and compassionate professionals. Each expert in their own fields, the team members help you manage the many aspects of the conflict - the legal issues, the emotional turmoil, the concerns for children and the financial and property questions. With this support you'll feel more in control of the process itself, and better equipped to begin a new life afterwards.
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The entire legal profession, lawyers, judges, law school teachers, has become to mesmerized with the stimulation of the courtroom contest that we tend to forget that we should be healers of conflicts. For some disputes, trials will be the only means, but for many claims...our system is too costly, too painful, too destructive, too inefficient for a truly civilized people. To rely on the adversarial process as the principal means of resolving conflicting claims is a mistake that must be corrected." Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
Earl Nightingale
All the Tools You Need to Succeed
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COLLABORATIVE LEGAL It is essential that you be guided by a legal coach be involved to educate you on all matters of law, from child custody and support to maintenance agreements to financial settlements and property distribution.
LIFE GUIDE Divorce is a major life transition; while it marks the end of one part of your life, it is also the beginning of another. This professional helps you manage the pain and strain of changing relationships, while focusing on goals for the present and the future. Working with you to make the most of your strengths, your Guide assists you in being at your best during the divorce process, then taking positive steps to a new life. |
FINANCIAL SPECIALIST The divorce settlement will in part determine your financial well-being for many years to come. It is critical that it be soundly structured. The Specialist will assist you in analyzing viable financial options for your future. Then, you and your Legal Guide can construct a comprehensive plan for the next stage of your life.
CHILD SPECIALIST Children may suffer most from divorce, and be least able to understand or express their feelings. Their world is being turned upside down in ways they cannot begin to comprehend. A goal of Collaboration is to assure that children are a priority, not a casualty. Encouraging children to think creatively about the future, the Specialist communicates their feelings, concerns and hopes to the team to consider when planning for the children's lives. |