Family Lawyers Birmingham
The collaborative process is still relatively new, but it is growing in popularity as people realise that it can offer an effective alternative to the more traditional approach to settling Family Law disputes.
In the past, any Family Law dispute involving solicitors would’ve usually involved the two sides communicating by telephone or post in an attempt to reach a resolution. The collaborative process takes a different approach and brings together both parties and their legal representatives in a series of face to face meetings with the aim of reaching a settlement.
Although this can be effective in many cases, in some situations this collaborative process might not be the best course of action. The team of collaborative solicitors at our Family Lawyers Birmingham office will be able to advise you whether this approach would suit your particular circumstances.
Because the entire aim of the collaborative process is to avoid taking the dispute to court, everyone involved is required to sign a declaration that they are committed to the process, and will do everything they can to reach an agreement without getting the courts involved.
The Collaborative Process
The solicitor for each party will meet with their clients and talk about what they can expect to achieve from the process and what will happen at the meetings, the first of which will then be arranged. At the meeting, after everyone has acknowledged the commitment to reaching an agreement without involving the courts, each side gets to explain what they want to get from the process. Certain guidelines regarding information sharing will be established and the agenda for the next meeting is set.
In the following meetings the individual concerns and issues the two sides have will be addressed. Sometimes these meetings may require certain specialist professionals to be present, to provide expert opinion on specific matters. For example, financial matters or child custody issues might require someone with expert legal knowledge in those fields. The issues will then be resolved over however many meetings are needed to reach an agreement.
In the final meeting a document is signed detailing the agreed arrangements and a schedule for their implementation.
By choosing the collaborative approach, partners can usually find that the whole process is more civil, less stressful, and in many cases, much quicker and less expensive than when a dispute needs to be decided by the courts.
If you are dealing with a Family Law issue and want to find out more about the collaborative approach, specially trained collaborative solicitors in our Family Lawyers Birmingham office will be able to provide you with the advice and assistance you need.