From my perspective as a Communication Divorce Coach, one of the primary benefits of the Collaborative Divorce Process is having a team that supports you through the decision making, with the decisions being made by you and your partner. Collaborative Divorce allows for emotional processing of difficult feelings which can hinder arriving at agreed upon solutions. Novel decision making is supported by your team which can better meet the needs of all members of the family. In a traditional litigated divorce, a judge makes decisions that may not consider the unique needs of your family and may be limited by the law, local rules, and the rules of Family Court. Please remember, a Judge does not have time to get to know your family, but rather relies on the law. Additionally, in Collaborative you will learn as you proceed, and knowledge can help mitigate some fears of the divorce journey.
The Collaborative Process is often faster than litigation and less expensive. In Collaborative, decision making is geared towards compromise and goes as fast as the parties can reach agreements, with the mindset of win-win solutions. Traditional divorce litigation is often an adversarial environment where attorneys advocate for their client. The more disagreements or adversarial stance adds time and expense to the divorce process. Additionally, costs are increased due missed work along with travel for attorneys and clients to scheduled Court appearances. Time and money are saved in Collaborative Divorce as many meetings are by video which makes scheduling more efficient for the Collaborative Divorce Team and clients.
If children are involved, the parents determine together the shared parenting schedule, how holidays are shared and most importantly your family’s future. You can include agreements regarding extracurricular activities, summer camps, private education, college, and so on. Additionally, creative parenting plans can be mapped out to consider unique work schedules such as a parent that works nights, or a parent whose work schedule changes weekly. Another aspect is the possibility of anticipating the children’s needs as they get older and formulating schedules that accommodate activities as the children grow and mature.
The Collaborative Divorce Process asks clients to commit to a transparent and respectful process. Again, you will be supported towards this with the help of your Collaborative Team. Imagine through this process you and your spouse can really focus on the best interests of the family.
Lastly, the Collaborative Divorce Process is private. Your family’s information and issues are not documented in a case file or presented openly in the public forum of a Courtroom.
Dawn Keller is based in Fresno, CA and can be reached at (559) 725-4637. Her office is located at 7942 N. Maple Ave #101 Fresno, CA 93720