- Are you looking for a less-adversarial method of resolving the issues in your divorce?
- Are you concerned about protecting your children from a nasty custody battle and the negative effects of divorce litigation?
- Do you think you and your spouse can work out disputed issues such as property division, child custody, child support and spousal support without going to court?
If you answered yes to these questions, collaborative law or family law mediation may be the right choice for you and your spouse.
To learn more about collaborative divorce, call 1-866-585-6314 or 510-659-6300 or contact us online to schedule your free initial consultation with a lawyer who is specially trained in collaborative law. We practice family law in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, all along the Interstate 680 corridor, and from Fremont and Hayward to Pleasanton, Walnut Creek and Martinez.
What Is Collaborative Divorce?
Collaborative law is a process in which each spouse is represented by an attorney who is specially trained in methods to peacefully resolve divorce issues through negotiation. In collaborative divorce, each side commits — in advance and in writing — to reach a marital settlement agreement without using the court.
Collaborative law often involves consulting with outside experts. Therapists, custody evaluators and educational consultants can provide parents with recommendations about custody and visitation. Accountants, actuaries, business valuation professionals and other experts can help the parties reach an agreement regarding financial issues such as the value of the family's home or business, division of community property and child and spousal support.
In collaborative divorce, everyone works to support the process. If the process breaks down and the spouses cannot reach an agreement out of court, they must start again with different attorneys. Thus, before you commit to the process, it is important to spend time considering whether collaborative law will work for you.
What Are the Benefits of Collaborative Divorce?
The collaborative process strives to avoid the negative "costs" adversarial litigation can incur. Lawyers still represent each side, but, the intent is not to win at any cost. The intent is to avoid court and to keep costs down. As a skilled collaborative divorce attorney, Jonathan D Larose works hard to protect his client's rights and interests, while keeping the action from spinning into litigation.
- Quicker Results: Courts get busy and it sometimes takes months to get a family law hearing. In collaborative divorce, the spouses and their attorneys are free to set the pace of information exchange, consultation with experts, and negotiation of disputed issues, such as child support, custody, property division and spousal support (alimony).
- Less Costly: Formal divorce litigation can be costly and time-consuming. Collaborative divorce can be a cost-effective method to work out issues in divorce.
- Preserve Relationships: Traditional divorce litigation is adversarial by its very nature and can destroy whatever vestiges of civility are left between the husband and wife.
- Protect Your Children: Children can easily be used as pawns in the destruction of a partnership. In collaborative divorce, the parties can consult with child psychologists, therapists and custody evaluators to help make decisions regarding custody, visitation and parenting plans.
- Control Over Outcome: Most importantly, a family law judge can never fully understand everything that happened in your relationship or what is best for your family. In collaborative divorce, the husband and wife are in control of crafting a creative agreement that meets the family's needs.
Do you want to learn more about the collaborative law process and find out if it is right for you? Contact us to schedule your free initial consultation at our office in Fremont, California.
