Divorce Without Conflict
There is a way to practice Divorce Law that is gaining in popularity. I wanted to share with you the idea of Collaborative Law because I think it can be a way to handle a divorce without needing to turn to the courts. I began my first Collaborative Law divorce case in Chicago several months ago and recently completed the Basic Interdisciplinary Collaborative Training held in Chicago.
The idea behind Collaborative Law is both parties in the divorce agree to work out the case without going to court. In fact, the lawyers of both parties have to sign an agreement that requires them to resign if either party makes any contact with a court.
This allows the process to be faster, cheaper, and overall nicer. I have noticed that without the courts involved, and the lawyers and the divorcing clients working in harmony, familial relationships don’t suffer as much, and there is an overall feeling of working together instead of fighting it out.
The other important parts of using Collaborative Law, when going through a divorce, are full disclosure, transparent communication, and an interdisciplinary approach. This means that if there is another member of the team necessary, in addition to the attorneys, to help move the case along without involving the courts, it is provided. This can include a mental health professional to act as a coach and help focus on the positive. Other extra team members can include a financial expert or a child specialist.
I hope you take the time to learn about Collaborative Law if you are going through a divorce or thinking about it. While this form of divorce law has just become popular in the past ten years, I think it has a place in our society to help expedite divorce and hopefully make it just a little less painful. Call me if you want to learn more about Collaborative Law in Chicago.
Michael C. Craven is a well-known divorce attorney in Chicago, CPA and a partner of the law firm, Beermann Swerdlove, LLP (Formerly of Beermann, now a Partner at Harrison LLP) located in the Chicago area. He is highly respected among other divorce attorneys, judges and his clients. He also holds a Master of Tax Law Degree (LLM). For more information about his services, contact Michael at mcraven@harrisonheld.com or at Divorce Lawyers Chicago.
