I just started another Collaborative Divorce Case yesterday (meaning that we had the first four-way meeting with another attorney and her client). It was another shining example of why Collaborative Divorce is such a great thing for clients that are willing to work with one another to resolve their case with less stress and pain than in a traditional “old-school” divorce case.
In one two-hour meeting, we were able to resolve who would move out and when, how the party that moves out will pay for the new residence, an interim distribution of cash to the dependant spouse, and resolve how and when the parties would tell their kids that a divorce is imminent.
In a traditional divorce case, this would have taken months of pleadings, court hearings, potentially mediation and thousands of dollars to accomplish what we accomplished in two hours. I call that some serious value.
I am in the process of working on a new website that will go into greater detail about my plans to move my practice to 100% collaborative/uncontested cases. The address is http://wakecollaborativedivorce.com/ – feel free to check it out (although there is nothing there… yet). That should change this weekend.
Congratulations on making the decision to move to 100% Collaborative or uncontested. I made the move about a 1 1/2 years ago and it is going well although I have 4 associate lawyers who still take on litigation. You may be interested in our website as you construct your own. Also, we are launching a new website to promote and support our students (I teach Collaborative) in their efforts to obtain clients. It is http://www.DivorceHappens.ca You may be interested in some of the concepts used when creating your own new site.
I love the magic of the four way meeting too! Enjoy!
Best wishes!
Brian
Thanks for the comment Brian – I’m glad to hear that the collaborative effort is working for you. We need more attorneys that are willing to take this step.
All the best,
Jim Hart