Collaborative Family Law is a new form of family dispute resolution now available in Prince George. It is an integrated cross-disciplinary team approach to solving divorce, property division, support and custody issues without the cost, expense and uncertainty of litigation.
Collaborative Family Law is based on four-way meetings with lawyers, clients and other professionals to solve problems through mutual disclosure and collaboration with grace, honesty, dignity and civility.
The essence of the process is a contractual commitment of the parties, their lawyers and other professionals not to litigate. The participants also agree to provide full disclosure of assets and income. If no agreement can be reached, or if either party takes the case to court, both lawyers must withdraw and the parties must hire new lawyers.
All professionals are trained in Collaborative Family Law. The Collaborative Family Law model differs from mediation and other forms of dispute resolution because the lawyers contract not to litigate and to provide full and early disclosure. Also you have the availability and support of other professionals as a team effort to resolve your divorce.
A divorce coach works as a counselor in the collaborative law context and is part of the interdisciplinary collaborative law team. The coach can work with one or both parents to work out what parenting arrangements are to the best interests of their children and the family as a whole. The coaches may meet with the parents separately first and then discuss the parenting issues in a four way meeting, if a second coach is involved. They will likely complete a Parenting Plan, or make recommendations to the lawyers about the Parenting Plan.
Divorce coaches have training and experience as therapists and counselors and are able to assist the parents identify and work through roadblock emotions to negotiations and settlements. Such roadblocks can be anger, sadness, fear, jealousy, confusion, helplessness and lack of knowledge about certain aspect of how the family has functioned.
The Child Specialists are experienced therapists and counselors who have worked extensively with young children and teens. They will talk with your children to help them identify and express what they are feeling about their parents' conflict and separation. The child specialist can inform the Parent Plan process by talking with the divorce coach(es) and parents about what is to the best interests of the children according to their specific ages & stages.
The task of this person is twofold -- one part is to show the financial results of a variety of options of asset division, spousal support and child support. The other part is to make recommendations about how to reach your goals -- whether that is saving enough for your child's education or ensuring that you both have a solid financial base for retirement.
This person may recommend the purchase of various investments, but does not sell any types of investments to you.
Collaborative Family Law Lawyers and Family Law Litigation Lawyers both charge out their services on an hourly basis. The time spent by the Litigation Family Law Lawyer, however, is spent in preparing legal documents required in the litigation process, responding to demands from the opposing party and preparing for Court proceedings. The time spent by the Collaborative Family Law Lawyer, on the other hand, is directed at resolving the outstanding issues fairly and co-operatively through principled negotiations with the result that the time and cost involved is usually far less than going the litigation route.
The focus is on reducing conflict between the participants, enabling them to engage in an open, honest and orderly process to resolve their family-related conflicts and support their children's welfare.
You and your spouse can each choose one of our independent network of trained professionals for this process. Any professional on the list will assist you in choosing other professionals for your Collaborative Family Law Team.
