Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative law is specifically designed to enable couples who have decided to separate or end their marriage to proceed without the underlying threat of litigation.

A settlement that best meets the needs of both parties

Through this process they work with collaboratively trained lawyers, coaches, financial professionals, and child specialists to avoid the uncertain outcome of court and to achieve a settlement that best meets the needs of both parties and their children. However, if both parties do not agree to a resolution, the professionals engaged in the collaborative process are prohibited from participating in ensuing litigation. In other words, if no settlement is reached through this process the couple will need to start over with new lawyers to proceed with their matter.

Collaborative Process

Collaborative cases involve a team model which is comprised of an attorney for each party, a divorce coach who is a mental health professional (one for each party, or one neutral coach), and neutral experts as required, such as a financial neutral or child specialist. The team works together with the parties to reach a global settlement with a commitment to avoiding litigation through a series of team meetings and one-on-one meetings as necessary. Michelle is a trained and experienced collaborative attorney.

Learn more

To learn more about the collaborative process and determine if this may be the right approach for you, visit the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois website here: https://collablawil.org