Is Collaborative a fit?The Collaborative Process is Right For...

Couples who want to keep their lives private:

Privacy is an important dimension of the separation and divorce process. Most couples want to protect their children from the risks of traditional litigation and do not want the details of their separation to become public knowledge. In the Collaborative Practice, your privacy is protected. Only you, the other party, and your Collaborative Team know the details of your divorce negotiations.

Couples who want to be in control of what happens … and when steps occur:

Traditional family law involves placing a great deal of control over your affairs in the hands of a court process that doesn’t know either of you, the drafting and continuous updating of pleadings and filings as well as the ongoing care and feeding of an extensive procedural process. A great deal of your Counsel’s time is necessarily focused on managing and responding to court process and demands (not your issues) at times and a at pace specified by the court system, not you. If your matter is not resolved by negotiation, it is the Court that decides your rights and obligations. Collaborative Practice occurs within the family legal framework of Ontario law, with the couple in question, their Counsel and other Collaborative Professionals designing and managing the process, order of issues and pacing in accordance with your wishes and priorities. The goal is to arrive at a negotiated resolution that meets both of your needs and aspirations.

Couples with Children:

Collaborative Practice offers parents an opportunity to create their post-separation parenting relationship by taking charge of the process from the very outset with the help of a Collaborative Team.

In Collaborative Practice, parents are assisted to think through every aspect of their matter to minimize the negative impact on their children. They work through their parenting plan to determine the time-sharing and decision-making process that they will follow in the future. Parents learn how to recognize and respond to behaviors and signs of anxiety that signify the need for more intervention for their children. In addition, they prepare for navigating new territory, such as integrating new relationships into their children’s lives. By understanding each others’ concerns and interests, solving common problems, and working through decisions together, parents begin to lay the foundation for a successful future parenting relationship.

Couples Who Want to Preserve Assets

The discussion about the division of assets is often contentious in litigation divorce proceedings. By choosing the Collaborative Practice, couples are helped to avoid this conflict so they can move towards a mutually agreed upon settlement that works for both parties. Through the assistance of a neutral Collaborative Financial Professional, spouses are able to work together to divide marital assets (including the marital home), marital debt, plan for the financial needs of the parties and offer analysis of the long-term implications of any settlement proposal considered by the parties.