Is the Collaborative Process Right for You?

Collaborative family law is an innovative process that focuses on creating settlements that work for all involved.  It takes discussions of intimate issues out of a public courtroom and into the private offices of attorneys and other professionals.

But is this process right for you?  The Collaborative Law Institute of Texas suggests that you should consider collaborative family law if some of the following statements are true:

• You want a civilized and dignified resolution of the dispute.
• You would like to retain the possibility of friendship with the other party.
• You want the best co-parenting relationship.
• You want to minimize or eliminate the damage that the hostility and conflict of litigation often causes children.

• You and the other party have friends and extended family with whom you both wish to remain connected.
• You want a more creative and individualized range of choices to settle you case.
• You value honesty, integrity, dignity, privacy, and discretion.
• You would like to control the proceedings rather than leave the outcome in the hands of a third party (the judge).
• You want a process that is designed to achieve the best possible outcome under the circumstances.
• You understand that resolving conflicts with dignity involves meeting not only your goals but finding ways to meet the reasonable goals of the other party.