What is Collaborative Family Law?
In the past, couples seeking a divorce or involved in other family law disputes had only one alternative - going to court. Today, another choice is emerging as a less contentious, potentially less expensive, more private and convenient way to settle conflicts: collaborative family law.
As one of the first firms in Texas to practice collaborative family law, our family law attorneys are experienced in both litigation and collaborative alternatives, and will explain each process to you. You can then decide which approach is right for your individual situation.
Contact one of our family law attorneys today to see how taking a collaborative approach to your divorce or other family conflict can benefit you.
Collaborative Family Law - The Benefits
The advantages of using a collaborative approach are numerous. Here are just a few of the benefits of collaborative family law:
- Keeps individuals out of court and avoids contentious and often bitter litigation
- Seeks to resolve differences and reach agreements on important issues through respectful negotiation
- Uses teamwork to find resolutions, instead of pitting lawyers and clients against each other
- Lawyers and clients work together to find creative, forward-looking solutions to the issues before them
Collaborative family law aims to get the parents and children through the divorce crisis with the least damage possible. The collaborative process can be less expensive than traditional litigation and is almost always less stressful for the parties and their children.
At Palmer & Manuel, we are strong advocates of the collaborative approach, and we have a wealth of knowledge and experience in handling collaborative family law and divorce settlements. Palmer & Manuel's attorneys are members of numerous collaborative law professional associations, including:
- The Collaborative Law Institute of Texas
- The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
- Collaborative Law Dallas
- Dallas Alliance of Collaborative Professionals
Contact Us
To schedule a time to meet with our lawyers and learn more about collaborative family law, contact us online or call our law firm at 214-242-6444. We offer flexible appointment times and accept VISA, MasterCard and Discover.
Whether you choose the litigation process or the collaborative law process, our attorneys are experienced in both. You will decide which process is right for you.
Litigation vs. Collaborative Law
The chart below compares litigation to the collaborative law approach.
Traditional Litigation |
Collaborative Approach |
|
Parties in process often feel intimidated, fearful, anxious, powerless, out-gunned and not in control. A common successful litigation tactic is to make the other side so uncomfortable they are coerced into settling. |
Collaborative process affirmatively seeks to make both parties feel safe, respected and in control of their lives. Coercion is not part of the process, and both parties are made to feel as comfortable as possible. |
|
Process focused on determining blame for problems |
Process focused on finding / reaching solutions to problems |
|
Unpredictable results |
Predictable results |
|
Things happen unexpectedly |
Nothing happens unless you agree to it |
|
Unsafe atmosphere — subject to cross-examination and depositions |
Safe atmosphere — civil, dignified respectful |
|
Public |
Private and confidential |
|
Inconvenient scheduling – court determines the parties’ schedules |
Schedules are determined by agreement between both parties |
|
Secretive — aiming to mislead and deceive the other side; all negotiation usually done by lawyers |
Transparent process — same information is available to both parties. Parties develop options for resolution in joint meetings |
|
Much more time and money spent getting ready for trial that most likely will never occur. Little time spent on settlement. Most cases settle, but 95% of most legal fees are not spent on settlement efforts |
100% of all time and money is spent on settlement efforts — fewer wasted resources |
|
Legal expenses can become uncontrollable. Other side can force you to spend significant fees on activities you do not want to participate in, including depositions, discovery, hearings, etc. |
All legal expenses are discussed and agreed upon — legal resources are efficiently used |
|
You can’t just “try” litigation |
You can try collaboration — if it doesn’t work, you can always litigate |
To learn more about collaborative family law, please read our articles on Family Law and the Collaborative Process or Collaborative Law - Taking Texas by Storm.
