How can collaborative law help to resolve issues arising from family breakdown?

Resolving issues arising from family breakdown, such as financial obligations and arrangements for children is an emotionally challenging time. Taking these issues to court intensifies these challenges as it is an expensive, long drawn out and highly stressful way to resolve your differences. As a result of this, family lawyers now recommend using a range of approaches to sort out your issues without resorting to the courtroom. Collaborative law is one of these approaches.

How does collaborative law work?

If you and a partner decide to use the collaborative approach to resolve any issues resulting from family breakdown, you make a commitment to work together with your respective lawyers to find solutions that work for all the family, without going to court. You both instruct a collaboratively trained family lawyer and set up a ‘Four Way Meeting,’ where all four of you can sit around the table to work through all the issues affecting your family. In a nutshell, collaborative law is about achieving solutions through agreement rather than court proceedings.

What is a Participation Agreement

At the start of the process everyone signs a Participation Agreement, a document that signifies everyone’s commitment to the collaborative process in achieving solutions by agreement rather than through court proceedings. The collaborative process allows a couple to retain control over decisions relating to finances, property, and children. In the courtroom the judge has total control over the outcomes that will affect your family.

What are the benefits of collaborative law?

Some of the benefits of using this approach include:

• Retaining control over the decision-making process
• Ability to schedule meetings at convenient times for you both
• Ability to include third-party professions, such as pensions experts and child therapists, able to assist with specific issues
• Ability to achieve solutions through agreement, making it easier for you both to move on

Four members of our team, Gilva, Camilla, Richard and Verity are all trained in collaborative law and would be happy to discuss in more detail with you what it is, how it differs from a more traditional approach and the benefits of using this method of dispute resolution.

If you are thinking about divorce or separation, we offer an initial no obligation one-hour appointment for just £50 (Incl. VAT), so you can discover the options for your specific circumstances. To book a consultation please call us on 01444 472700, email us on info@tisshawssolicitors.co.uk or complete the form below.