What is a Collaborative Law Divorce in Illinois?

 Posted on October 18, 2013 in Collaborative Law

Today, there are several ways to pursue your divorce outside of traditional litigation. For some couples, going through litigation is costly in terms of emotions and finances. Perhaps you and your spouse are able to discuss issues in a relatively civil matter. If you're concerned about the high costs of traditional divorce, an Illinois collaborative divorce approach may be the answer you have been looking for.

The collaborative approach is actually picking up steam in other states, too, as a different way to pursue marriage dissolution. You will need to hire an attorney trained in collaborative law to start.

To begin with, collaborative divorce allows for 4-way meetings with you, your attorneys, your spouse, and his or her attorneys. This reduces the need to attend court multiple times to discuss matters. If your negotiations don't end up working out, you will still have the opportunity to go to court, but this time with new lawyers. The focus of collaborative law is on identifying critical issues and developing plans to resolve them. This gets away from the approach of placing blame and generating a contentious environment for you and your spouse.

Collaborative law is most appropriate for situations where you don't wish to damage the relationship any further and where you want some control over the decisions being made about your future. In traditional litigation procedures, it’s common for parties to feel like it's "he versus she" and to feel frustrated that a third-party judge will be making important decisions about their future. Collaborative law gives you and your spouse a role to play in shaping your life post-divorce.

If you think that you are more likely to come to agreements with your spouse during the collaborative law process, reach out to an experienced collaborative law professional in Illinois to learn more about your options. Collaborative law may provide a more expedient and flexible final arrangement for your situation.