When most people think of divorce they think of yelling, fighting, arguing, and years of heartache, all done at the courthouse, for the world to see. What if there was a way to resolve the same issues that a divorce deals with but in a more respectful and confidential manner?

Collaborative family law, sometimes called collaborative divorce, is exactly such a process. Unlike a litigated divorce action in the Court system, collaborative divorce makes use of a confidential process to allow both spouses to negotiate the end of their marriage in a more respectful manner. In a collaborative divorce, both spouses make use of a team of professional advisors to guide them through the ending of a marriage with a focus on the parties’ goals and interests. This team of advisors includes an attorney for each spouse, one “financial neutral,” and one mental health advisor. A collaborative divorce takes into account both spouses’ goals, and allows them to come to a complete resolution regarding the end of their marriage, including any parenting issue for children.

The collaborative process can be shorter than the litigated Courthouse divorce process, and is certainly more transparent, flexible, and confidential. Ending a marriage in this non-confrontational fashion can also be beneficial to allow parents to maintain a respectful and civil co-parenting relationship once they are no longer married that a litigated divorce process does not necessarily address.

Contact Attorney Chad Hanke at Thomas Law Group to learn more about this alternative process to a litigated and contested divorce.