Collaborative Divorce Attorney In Kansas City: What Is The Collaborative Divorce Approach?

As a collaborative divorce attorney in Kansas City, I know the good that can come from the collaborative divorce approach. Not all divorces are alike, just as not all marriages are alike and sometimes you need a different approach to settle a divorce. If you and your spouse are able to work together amicably, then the collaborative divorce approach might be your best solution.

In collaborative divorce, each spouse retains an attorney who helps them reach an agreement, rather than engage in the adversarial process that is known in a traditional divorce. In some cases, a mental health professional and financial planner are utilized to reduce the costs and address all the needs of the parties involved.

During the collaborative divorce approach, each spouse secures their own legal representation. The spouses and their attorneys then enter into an agreement to work together to resolve all of the issues of the divorce, including child custody, child support, spousal support and property division questions.

As an experienced collaborative divorce attorney in Kansas City, I know one of the additional benefits of the collaborative divorce approach is its interdisciplinary nature. We are able to bring a team of professionals together, such as financial planners to assist with gathering all the pertinent financial information together, and a divorce coach or mental health professional who can assist in reducing stress and improve communication between spouses during discussions.

You know your family better than anyone else, and being able to make decisions that impact your family’s future is important. The collaborative divorce approach is completely confidential and does not hold a public court record because spouses are able to keep the decision-making power within their own hands instead of ceding that power to a judge. A collaborative divorce attorney in Kansas City can help guide you through the collaborative divorce approach.

With more than 40 years of family law experience, as a collaborative divorce attorney in Kansas City I helped to introduce the benefits of the collaborative divorce approach to Missouri in 2001. In the time since, I have conducted numerous advanced trainings for other attorneys who wanted to learn more about the process and how their family law clients could be helped by it.

I know the challenges that people face when it is time to divorce, but divorce does not need to be a fight. If you are in the Kansas City are and believe the collaborative divorce approach is the right step for your family, contact your local collaborative divorce attorney in Kansas City, Hugh O’Donnell, to schedule a consultation, or feel free to call at (816) 533-5152 with any questions you have regarding the collaborative divorce approach.