“The entire legal profession: Lawyers, judges, and law professors, has become so mesmerized with the stimulation of the courtroom contest, that we tend to forget that we ought to be healers of conflict. For many claims, trial by adversarial contest must in time go the way of the ancient trial by battle and blood . . . . Our system has become too costly, too painful, too destructive, too inefficient for truly civilized people.”

-Chief Justice Warren Burger, 1984

Divorce is never easy. Family conflict can exhaust the emotional and financial resources of both spouses, and destroy any remaining respect between them. Especially when children are involved, this is a tragic way to end a relationship.

The traditional process of getting a lawyer, filing papers, engaging in “discovery,” and going before a judge makes a difficult situation immeasurably worse. The Collaborative Practice Divorce provides an alternative that supports you with legal, emotional, and financial expertise.

If you and your spouse want to end your marriage with dignity and respect and the possibility of an ongoing relationship as co-parents or friends, Collaborative Practice Divorce is for you! There are alternatives, however. Several forms of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) have been developed to assist couples to reach their own divorce agreements. If you and your spouse can make a fair and complete agreement using ADR, the Court will adopt it as your Final Decree.

If you decide that Collaborative Practice could work for you, here is what to do:

1. Find out more about Collaborative Practice on this website, on the website of International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, or contact a local collaborative professional.
2. Review the Collaborative Divorce Knowledge Kit produced by the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
3. Share the information you have about Collaborative Practice with your spouse.
4. Find a lawyer from our list of Collaborative Divorce Attorneys and setup a consultation. You and your spouse must select different attorneys.
5. You, your spouse, and your lawyers will have a preliminary conversation to discuss the use of neutral professionals and preparations for the first “Team Meeting.”

The cost of Collaborative Practice varies according to the complexity of the issues. Generally, because of the sharing of professional costs, the lack of adversarial “gamesmanship,” and the faster process, it costs much less than a litigated divorce. Your lawyer can give you a better idea of the cost based on your specific situation.