While some of VDC attorneys also litigate, all our divorce attorneys are trained in both Mediation and Collaborative Divorce interdisciplinary team protocols. (Scroll down for more information.)
We each offer a number of services, including:
What’s remarkable about our Collaborative Divorce Family Law Attorneys?
Collaborative Divorce Training is an interdisciplinary team training that teaches attorneys and other professionals how to avoid the adversarial and positional stances, language and approaches required in litigation. As a result, our divorce attorneys are adept at furthering a kinder, more respectful divorce approach that prioritizes the wellbeing of children.
All Collaborative Professionals who hold themselves out as such are ethically bound by the IACP to be members of a collaborative practice group.
If a couple chooses to Mediate, the primary mediator is always one of our Collaboratively-Trained Family Law Attorneys. Our divorce attorneys are most equipped to ensure your legal documents are created and filed with knowledge of the law. Because this mediator is also trained to function on interdisciplinary teams, expect your Attorney Mediator to be equipped to call in a similarly-trained Divorce Communication Coach or Financial Specialist as needed (for an additional cost), to ensure you get whatever support will allow you to complete your divorce, without going to court.
Because the primary attorney Mediator is neutral, s/he/they can tell you about the law, but cannot tell you what is in your best interest. Consequently, most primary Mediators require that you each have a mediation-friendly Consulting Attorney, so that you can consult before agreeing as you go along.
Regardless of the divorce process you choose, increased conflict, ineffective blame-laden communication, emotional reactivity by either clients or their professionals will increase the need for professional intervention, and therefore, your costs.
Our collaboratively-trained Divorce Attorneys value the areas of expertise needed beyond the legal realm. In a Team Mediation or Collaborative Divorce, they actively rely on mental health and financial professionals to support and guide you in non-legal arenas. If you have children and choose a Collaborative Divorce, for example, your Communication Coaches model and train you and your partner to build the skills needed to function effectively as co-parents going forward. They also mediate your parenting plan. Financial specialists gather and organize your financial data, and may prepare budgets so you see what various options will look like financially, before you negotiate.
Collaboratively-trained divorce attorneys are also better at delegating financial and emotional/communication matters to specialists who are typically less expensive. In a Collaborative Divorce, professionals work together to follow streamlined protocols that coordinate efforts efficiently, mindful of your budget.
