FAQs

Collaborative is a unique, reasonable approach to handling a divorce or other family law matter. It is founded on three core principles: a written pledge not to fight in court, withdrawal of the hired professionals if either party chooses to fight in court, and open communication between the parties. The process requires an honest and good faith exchange of information and negotiations leading to a mutually acceptable settlement that takes into account the highest priorities of all family members.

The collaborative approach works with a team mindset. You and the other party, along with your attorneys, use the skills of mental health and financial specialists to maximize positive outcomes for the family. In addition to divorce, you can use the collaborative process in other family law matters such as paternity, annulment, legal separation, pre-marital agreements, post-nuptial agreements, non-marital relationships and same-sex relationships.

The issues addressed in collaborative cases are the same ones addressed in traditional litigation cases: child custody and placement, property valuation and division, child support, maintenance (alimony), taxes, and insurance.

Depending upon the needs of the family, the collaborative team generally consists of professionals from three separate disciplines: legal, mental health and financial. The professionals work together by providing their respective expertise to help families through their family law matter. Professionals on the team all subscribe to the three core principles and are formally trained in the collaborative process. None of the team members can be involved in any contested court hearing, and all hired professionals will withdraw from the case if it does result in a contested court hearing. The collaborative team includes the parties and their attorneys, and generally includes collaborative coaches, child specialists, and financial specialists.

This website contains information about trained collaborative professionals in Wisconsin. Each member's profile provides biographical information and the individual's training in areas related to collaborative family law. Factors you may wish to consider in selecting a professional include training, experience and location. You may start the collaborative process or get more information by contacting any collaborative professional.

Although your therapist will certainly be helpful to you as you go sort through your legal case, your collaborative coach plays a different role in the process. In addition to being able to communicate directly with other team members about critical issues, your coach's goals differ from those of your therapist. Your coach is there to assist you throughout your legal matter, not to treat mental health issues. The same may be said for your child's therapist, who assists in treating your child's emotional issues. The child specialist educates parties on the needs and desires of the child so that those needs and desires are taken into consideration when creating your long-term parenting plan.

If a child specialist is needed, the specialist will interview the child individually or as a sibling group at least once, and in some cases more often. The children's involvement in your legal matter is limited to those contacts.

No process can guarantee absolute honesty or prevent a person from hiding assets or lying under oath. In the collaborative process, each party commits in writing to a full and voluntary disclosure of all assets and income. Entering in to voluntary disclosure avoids expensive formal processes such as subpoenas and depositions. Ultimately, each party is required to sign a financial disclosure statement under penalty of perjury, stating that each has made full disclosure. If you believe your partner will tell the truth under oath, the collaborative process may be a good choice for you.

Your lawyer is your advocate in the collaborative process. However, that advocacy is different from the lawyer's role in a litigated case. In a collaborative situation, your lawyer strives to negotiate and achieve your goals in a respectful and cooperative manner. In both private and four-way meetings (meetings among you, the other party and both of your attorneys), your lawyer focuses on educating, advising and assisting you to understand the legal issues and options for settlement. Your lawyer is committed to protecting your reasonable settlement goals while preserving your interest in reaching an outcome that is best for you and your family.

It is true that most family law cases settle (reach agreement without the court's intervention) before a trial. However, if you choose the most traditional way to handle a family law matter, which is litigation, you are entering into an adversarial process. That means your lawyer and your partner's lawyer advocate your positions based on your and your partner's personal wants, needs and viewpoints. Rather than communicating directly with one another, you and your partner communicate primarily through your lawyers through proposals, counterproposals, and ultimatums. Even though your lawyers may be civil and cooperative, the ability to reach a resolution for your family is often limited by formulas, statutes, rules of thumb, war stories, and the threat of litigation. Too often, such settlements are reached at the last minute, literally or figuratively on the courthouse steps. It is stressful and usually expensive. Settlement negotiations in collaborative divorce seek to identify and find outcomes that meet the needs and objectives of both parents and their children. You and your lawyer, and your partner and his or her lawyer, commit to actively listening to each other and understanding each party's interests, needs and goals. The process itself supports the parties in working together and communicating directly to find common ground and solutions. You and your partner retain control in a process focused on education, creative problem solving and long-term solutions. Both these models - traditionally litigated cases and the collaborative process - generally lead to a settlement. It is up to you to choose the path to that settlement.

It is commendable you to reach a resolution without a court battle. Collaborative attorneys can help you by educating and advising you in reaching fully informed agreements; they avoid creating disagreements where there are none. Even couples who want a peaceful divorce often find themselves struggling - not necessarily fighting - about issues like the long-term effects of decisions about children, allocation of income, and division of assets. Collaborative professionals can guide you through those discussions and help you more efficiently reach resolution. Using the services of a collaborative lawyer also may reduce the likelihood of returning to court because your initial do-it-yourself agreement was incomplete, or created unintended consequences.