What is the role of Collaborative Lawyers?
Collaborative lawyers seek to settle disagreements in the divorce process through a non-confrontational approach to dispute resolution. This process begins with both parties signing an agreement or otherwise confirming that they do not wish to go to Court and will instead commit to the collaborative law approach.
Once decided, each party appoints a trained collaborative solicitor to represent them. The couple and their respective solicitors will then attend a series of four-way meetings, sometimes with a family consultant present as well, to discuss and attempt to settle any outstanding issues, from finances and logistics to arrangements for children.
There is no strict formula for these meetings. As long as both parties consent, the time, place, and attendees present can all be tailored to suit the couple’s individual needs. Other professionals will often be brought into the process as needed, from accountants and financial advisors to life coaches and children specialists.
How Collaborative Lawyers can help the divorce process
Taking a dispute to Court as a contested hearing can take months – sometimes even years – to resolve and can be both financially and emotionally draining. Collaborative law offers an alternative approach. Provided a couple is willing to work together constructively, the benefits of instructing an appropriately experienced collaborative lawyer are numerous.
While the exact number of four-way meetings a dispute will take to resolve varies, on average the process can be completed within a couple of months. With the quicker resolution comes a lower financial cost, too. Perhaps just as importantly, the collaborative approach hands more control to those involved. Instead of a Judge making a final decision, in collaborative law the ultimate resolution to any dispute is arrived at through a process of constructive conversation, meaning that the end result is likely to be much more acceptable to all parties.
It is important to note that, while similar, collaborative law is not the same as family mediation. In mediation, a disputing couple will attend meetings with a single, independent mediation-trained solicitor, with no legal representation of their own present.
Talk to our Collaborative Lawyers
If you are undergoing a divorce or separation and are interested in using collaborative law to resolve outstanding issues with your partner, it is important to thoroughly understand the process and what it will require. It is even more important to have a reliable and experienced collaborative lawyer with you in your four-way meetings.
We can provide you with an experienced solicitor, trained and accredited by Resolution in collaborative law, who can work with you to offer guidance and advice and will reliably represent your needs throughout collaborative meetings.
A qualified collaborative lawyer will have an initial consultation with you to discuss your situation in more detail. Once we understand your circumstances better, we can provide you with a clearer understanding of how we can help you. We will also provide you with a price quotation and a choice of funding methods at the outset.
Make a Free Enquiry
Our enquiry lines are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Call 0800 086 2929, email info@elitelawsolicitors.co.uk or complete our Free Online Enquiry Form to arrange an initial consultation and let our qualified collaborative lawyers explain your legal rights and options.
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