Orlando Collaborative Lawyer
Collaborative Practice is a voluntary dispute resolution process in which parties settle without resorting to litigation. It empowers you to resolve your legal disputes without judges, magistrates or court personnel making decisions for you. It offers you a safe and dignified environment to reduce the conflict and minimize its impact on you, your children, your family and your life.
Collaborative Practice provides you and your spouse, or partner, with the support and guidance of your own lawyers without going to court. Additionally, Collaborative Practice allows you the benefit of coaches, child, and financial specialists all working together with you on your team. Contact our Orlando collaborative lawyers today, we can provide more information.
In Collaborative Practice, core elements form your commitments to this process, which are to:
- Negotiate a mutually acceptable resolution without having courts decide issues.
- Maintain open communication and information sharing.
- Create shared solutions acknowledging the highest priorities of all.
Additionally, The Collaborative Law process can be more affordable than traditional litigation. With traditional litigation, documents are usually obtained through the discovery process and may require that the parties file motions with the court, attend hearings, and/or subpoena documents. Fees and costs can increase dramatically. With Collaborative Practice, at the beginning of the process the parties enter into a collaborative participation agreement where they agree to cooperate in exchanging and producing all necessary documents. The Collaborative Law process also allows for the use of one mental health and financial professional as opposed to two of each, which is normally the standard in a litigated family law case. With the use of less professionals and with reduced litigation, fees and costs for third party experts are more controlled.
In Collaborative Practice:
- The parties sign a collaborative participation agreement describing the nature and scope of the matter;
- The parties voluntarily disclose all information which is relevant and material to the matter that must be decided;
- The parties agree to use good faith efforts in their negotiations to reach a mutually acceptable settlement;
- Each party must be represented by a lawyer whose representation terminates upon the undertaking of any contested court proceeding;
- The parties may engage mental health and financial professionals whose engagement terminates upon the undertaking of any contested court proceeding; and
- The parties may jointly engage other experts as needed.
The Collaborative Practice is not limited to divorces and can be used for a wide array of family law matters such as those involving paternity, child “custody,” visitation, modification, etc. It is also for all families-married and unmarried, traditional and LGBT who want to move forward peacefully. Please see the new Collaborative Law Process Act at Florida Statute 61.55-61.58
The Donna Hung Law Group is collaboratively trained to take on your case. Call now for a confidential consultation to discuss whether Collaborative Practice is a sensible solution for your family law case.
For more information about the Collaborative Law process, please see The Collaborative Family Law Group of Central Florida, Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
