Collaborative Divorce is a unique process available to divorcing spouses that is built on family-focused resolutions and requires a commitment from both spouses not to go to court.

Practiced all over the world, Collaborative Divorce is an option for those who are faced with the reality that their family dynamic is changing due to divorce but who prefer to approach resolution of their divorce in a way that promotes mutual respect, harmony, deeper peace and healthy co-parenting, not just during the process, but after the divorce is legally final.

The Collaborative Divorce process starts with the assembly of a Collaborative team. The team consists of divorcing spouses and various Collaboratively-trained professionals, including attorneys and a divorce coach, whose collective objective is to create an environment for candid and transparent interest-based negotiations to assist divorcing spouses in resolving, not only all aspects of their divorce required to be resolved by Michigan divorce statutes, but other unique and personal goals identified by the spouses early on in the process.

Collaborative Divorce is very different than other processes. Presently, the “standard” divorce process consists of filing various pleadings using the civil court model and proceeding through the process starting from an already-adverse position, right down to the label of the spouses as plaintiff versus defendant. The Collaborative Divorce process usually occurs before anyone files for divorce and all final agreements are reached out of court through a series of 2-hour informal and confidential team meetings. Once all matters the spouses have identified as being important to them are discussed and resolved, the process concludes, and the spouses’ final agreements can proceed through the legal system in a more streamlined fashion.

The “end result” of Collaborative Divorce is still the same as other processes—it results in a divorce. However, that daunting and, at times, downright frightening road of divorce in the Collaborative Divorce process can be much straighter and clearer. As ironic as it sounds, some spouses find that Collaborative Divorce highlights and celebrates the good of their marriage and even allows opportunities for parents to work together to create their “divorce story” for their children.

Jennifer and Erica have practiced Collaborative Divorce since 2011 and have handled many successful Collaborative cases through the years. Call us to set up your consultation today and find out if Collaborative Divorce is right for you.