COLLABORATIVE LAW

The Process

The collaborative law process is a team approach to resolving conflict. The fundamental difference between the collaborative law process and traditional litigation is that clients agree to entirely forgo the use or threatened use of litigation and commit to resolving their dispute through a series of structured and respectful mediations.

The collaborative process is simple, client-centered and suitable for most families. To begin, each client hires a collaboratively trained attorney to advise and guide them toward resolution. Next, the parties meet their collaborative team, comprised of their attorneys, a financial professional and a communications specialist. This collaborative team guides clients through a series of structured mediations toward resolution.

Between group meetings, clients meet with their team to discuss goals and strategies to resolve conflict and reach agreements. Clients meet with their financial professional to gather information needed to create a full picture of the family’s financial resources and obligations. They’ll also meet with their mental health and communications specialist to discuss parenting issues.

At each group meeting, clients, with the support of their collaborative team, clients generate as many financial and parenting options as possible. These options are then explored and reality tested, enabling clients to determine the best options for their family.

Once agreement is reached, the attorneys draft the legal documents to finalize the agreement, which are delivered to the court for final approval – no court appearance necessary. The end result is a settlement agreement and parenting plan that provide a smooth transition into your family’s future.

The Benefits

Here are just a few of the benefits of the collaborative path:

Preservation of critical parenting relationships. For clients with children, the collaborative path helps clients build a better parenting relationship to serve their newly structured family. By choosing focused and dignified negotiation over toxic court battles, parents can focus on protecting and improving their crucial parenting relationship and securing a better future for their children.

Outcome Control. By choosing a Collaborative approach, you decide what your family will look like. A judge may have only a few hours to review your case and make the critical financial and parenting decisions that will govern your family’s future. You and your spouse will agree to resolve your divorce without going to court and therefore retain complete control over every decision, large and small. No one knows your family better than you do. You are the most qualified person to make the decisions that will dictate your family’s future.

Cost and Duration. The efficient, structured nature of the collaborative approach provides you with more predictability regarding the cost and duration of a divorce or separation by eliminating excessive costs caused by counterproductive communications and costly discovery, motions and trials.

Minimize Stress. No matter how you frame it, divorce is hard. For most people, it will be among the most difficult and stressful events in their lives. While collaborative cannot entirely eliminate stress, it does remove many of the elements that make divorce so painful. By providing a more productive and respectful structure for resolution, collaborative encourages dignified behavior and respectful communication and provides a safe space to make the best decisions possible.

The Value

By choosing the Collaborative process, you’ll receive valuable guidance and insight from professionals with specialized experience and expertise.

Family Counselor and Communications Expert:
In addition to your personal advocate (your attorney) your team will include a licensed interpersonal communications expert. This professional will facilitate mediation sessions, help you and your spouse voice your interests, goals, and concerns, and keep you focused on those goals throughout the process to reach a resolution that truly reflects your vision for the future.

Financial Expert:
You’ll have access to a licensed financial professional. This team member will provide financial education and insight and generate tailored options to achieve your goals. Judges simply don’t have the time and often lack the expertise required to develop the specific options to best support your family. Your financial expert will provide comprehensive projections illustrating how the decisions you make today will impact your future.

To learn more about the collaborative process you can contact Layla for a free consultation, or visit https://missouladivorceoptions.com to meet the full Missoula Collaborative Professional Team.

FAMILY MEDIATION

Mediation allows couples to work through divorce, separation, and parenting matters together with the help of a neutral, attorney mediator.

The Process

Families that choose mediation will resolve their divorce, separation, and parenting plan needs without going to court. Through family mediation, Layla serves as a neutral mediator, rather than an attorney advocate for either client. Over the course of several scheduled meetings, Layla will assist you in reaching agreement on all matters necessary to fully resolve your divorce, separation, or parenting matters. Once full agreement is reached, Layla will draft your agreements in the proper legal format, ready to be filed and approved by the court - No need for hearings or court appearances.

The BENEFITS

Mediation allows you to control your own outcome, reduce costs, minimize stress and preserve your parenting relationship by foregoing drawn-out legal battles.

The VALUE

By choosing mediation, you’ll receive valuable guidance and insight from an experienced family law attorney and mediator, while avoiding the unnecessary costs and stress associated with litigation.