Spokane, Washington Collaborative Law Attorney
"It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do, but what humanity,
reason, and justice tell me I ought to do."
- Edmund Burke, 1775 speech to Parliament on reconciliation with the colonies
If you have been served with divorce papers or are considering divorce, there is a relatively new method of handling divorce and family law disputes that you should learn about. This approach is called Collaborative Law, or the collaborative process. As a fully trained Collaborative Professional I offer collaborative law services for divorce and other family law matters including child custody, visitation, division of property and modifications of parenting plans.
In Collaborative Law, each party retains a lawyer trained in the collaborative process. The parties agree through a formalized agreement that they will try to resolve all of the issues of their divorce or other dispute through the collaborative process. The best interest of each client is the focus of all dealings. This is done through four person meetings in which all parties and attorneys communicate freely and openly with each other. All information is shared between the parties in an open exchange. If issues are presented that require the opinion of a financial expert or child welfare expert, neutral experts are retained by the parties to offer assistance to the team.
The formalized agreement that defines the process as Collaborative Law is called the participation agreement. Both parties as well as the two trained attorney's agree to the terms and sign the participation agreement. Among other things in this formal document is the agreement that all disputes in the matter will be handled without going to court. Should either party decide to leave the collaborative model and seek resolution through the courts both attorneys will withdraw from the case. When parties no longer have the hammer of court hanging over their head, they often are able to resolve their disputes with the assistance of their attorneys through communication and agreement. The end result is generally less costly in terms of time, money and emotions than the traditional approach.
For more on the Collaborative Law alternative visit my Collaborative Law FAQ page or call me for a free consultation to discuss alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Karen EA Vache, PLLC
Attorney At Law
The Fernwell Building
505 West Riverside, Suite 500
Spokane, Washington 99201
509-326-4162
