- It is a way to have legal representation in a private, less costly (than litigation), and a holistic manner.
- Both parents and/or spouses must agree to commit to the process by signing a Participation Agreement that outlines the dos and don’ts of the process.
- The Participation Agreement includes a provision that discusses the process terminating in the event either parent and/or spouse or either professional, attorney or otherwise, no longer wants to proceed. Should this occur, the attorneys are not allowed to represent their clients in litigation.
- Both parents and/or spouses must have their own attorney.
- While the attorney does not have to be collaboratively trained, the process tends to work best when both attorneys are collaboratively trained and consistently active in the collaborative community.
- While a neutral facilitator (usually a mental health professional) and a financial neutral (usually a CPA or a forensic accountant) may be part of the team, they are not mandatory.
- A high percentage of collaborative cases end in full resolution.
- The Collaborative Law Process Act has been adopted by the Florida Supreme Court, along with rules and a statute.
- The Collaborative Law Process is practiced in numerous other states in the U.S. and the law transcends to other countries as well.
- Other professionals may be consulted with the agreement of everyone on the team to assist with a resolution (i.e. estate planning attorneys, realtors, mortgage brokers, etc.).
https://collaborativefamlaw.com/
Kristen Goss, Esq.
KWG Family Legal and Mediation Services, LLC
6750 N. Andrews Avenue
Suite 200
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309
(954) 695-6512 | kristen@kwglaw.net
