How does Collaborative Family Law differ from other methods of dispute resolution?
In the traditional litigation approach, both parties hire attorneys whose focus is to prepare a picture of reality that will result cause a judge to give the client what he wants. Often, this method includes denigrating the other party and his or her perception of reality. Trial is often compared to a battle, in which the best side “wins.” In most cases, however, there are no winners in litigation. Everyone ends up feeling like they are much worse off than they were when they began the process. If there are children of the marriage, they often suffer the most, regardless of their ages. In mediation, a neutral professional assists the parties in settling the dispute. Sometimes parties attend mediation without lawyers, in which case they have no one to advise them of their rights or suggest possible solutions. In cases where there are attorneys, mediation often does not occur until after there have already been hearings, depositions, formal discovery, and other time-consuming and expensi
