Collaborative law and co-parenting
Collaborative divorce teaches you co-parenting tools needed to continue to make better decisions for yourself and your family. It is a calmer approach and keeps everyone moving forward and on the same page. If you have children, it is really important to learn to continue to co-parent. This shows them that they have two parents that love them and are able to be in the same place at the same time. Children do not want to grow up having to choose between their parents, consciously or subconsciously. The stress of a dissolution / divorce can cause parents to act in ways that are not typical of their character. Litigation is not a good way to continue a good co-parenting relationship. It is adversarial by design and parties get lost in the “fight” versus the best interest of their children. Good people and good parents can act in ways they will be ashamed of later. However, the pain and experiences the children live through may not be something that goes away very easily or even ever. How can this be avoided? A Collaborative divorce can avoid many of the behavioral pitfalls that occur within a litigated dissolution. It is a team approach, it is like a board meeting, not a court hearing.
Keeping assets and liabilities confidential
For parties without children; especially if they desire to keep their assets and liabilities confidential, this process is for you! Nothing is filed in court that discloses your assets and liabilities like in the traditional litigation model; and there is not a judge involved, which makes the process less stressful for the parties.
Make sure your attorney is Collaboratively trained
While any attorney can do a collaborative divorce; it is better to use an attorney that has attended collaborative training and continues to take continuing education classes involved in the collaborate process. The attorney that you hire can make this process a lot easier and more successful, so it is important to do your homework. Look at the collaborative website in your county for the collaboratively trained professionals. Schwam-Wilcox & Associates has collaboratively trained professionals on staff to assist you, should you decide to choose this method of divorce.
