The Training of a Collaborative Divorce Professional

Collaborative divorce professionals receive special training which helps them to work with clients who wish to keep their court case out of court. This can make the process less stressful and less expensive.

What Is a Collaborative Divorce?

You may have heard the term collaborative divorce, but you might not know exactly what it means. A collaborative divorce has the following characteristics:

• It is client-centered and controlled.
• The clients actively participate in the collaborative proceedings.
• Constructive communication is a key to collaborative divorce.
• It emphasizes educating the parties so that they are fully informed.
• The consent of both parties to an agreement is required in collaborative divorce.

For a collaborative divorce, the parties must all sign an agreement stating:

• They will not file any contested divorce court proceedings during the collaborative process.
• The collaboration will terminate in the event of a contested filing.
• The collaborative professionals are not allowed to participate in any contested divorce proceedings if the collaborative process is terminated. 

Advantages to collaborative divorce over going to court include retaining control over the outcome of your divorce, preparing for a cooperative future and spending less money. If you will be dealing with your spouse even after divorce due to assets or children, maintaining an amicable relationship can help make any future dealings much less difficult. If children are involved, you have a special need to remain friendly and respectful. Your children will be impacted by your divorce no matter how it goes, but it can be smoother through collaboration.

Training of Collaborative Professionals

Collaborative divorce professionals generally attend classes and are certified to handle collaborative divorce procedures. They may belong to collaborative divorce associations. The training they receive is designed to help them work with clients who do not want to go through a court battle in their divorce, but would rather want to come to an agreement together as to how to best deal with dividing assets and handling child custody and support issues. The training is focused on different aspects of the collaborative process, including constructive communication and educating clients on the process and their rights. Collaborative professionals usually attend annual trainings to continue to improve and update their skill sets.

Getting Legal Help

If you are facing a divorce petition, you need to get legal help today to ensure the most agreeable outcome in your case. Divorce is a stressful life event for most people, and hiring an experienced attorney to get you through the legal part of the process can provide great relief.