Collaborative Divorce is a major shift in the approach to divorce and other family law disputes. It is a legal process enabling couples who have decided to separate or end their marriage to work with collaboratively trained lawyers, coaches and financial professionals in order to reach a settlement that best meets the specific needs of both parties and their children without the underlying threat of litigation. Reaching a resolution through the collaborative divorce process allows the parties to avoid the uncertainties involved in the outcome of litigation. 

The collaborative divorce process is based on the concept that a couple can work together from the very beginning of the case in a respectful, non-adversarial way to end their marriage. It provides an emotionally safe, non-adversarial process which permits divorcing spouses to have open and direct conversations with each other so that they may make decisions in their divorce with a focus on what is truly important for themselves and their children. The process is controlled by the parties and the professional team using a timetable that best suits the parties and not one established by the court.

In a collaborative divorce, each party retains his or her own trained collaborative lawyer to advise and assist in negotiating an agreement on all issues. All negotiations take place in “four-way” settlement meetings that include both spouses, both lawyers, and other professionals who are part of the collaborative team. The parties commit to resolve their case through the collaborative divorce process.