What to Expect when working with a Collaborative Divorce Attorney
As a collaborative divorce attorney, I have helped many couples through the divorce process and even more that wish to discuss how collaborative divorce works. A collaborative divorce is not like a traditional divorce or even mediation. Collaborative attorneys representing you and your spouse will help the two of you to work together to reach an agreement acceptable to both of you.
In a collaborative divorce, each spouse secures a collaborative divorce attorney who helps the parties reach a contract amicably together, rather than engage in a combative process. In some cases, a mental health professional and/or financial planner are added to the process to help reduce costs and address the needs of all parties involved. The spouses and their attorneys work together to resolve all the issues of the divorce, including child custody, child support, spousal support, and property division questions.
Frequently, couples going through a traditionally litigated divorce don’t have the time and space to try and navigate their divorce issues, meaning their wants and needs get bogged down in communication failures. The difference with a collaborative divorce is that all communication occurs in a safe and secure environment. The environment is controlled by the couple in order to address all their needs and make sure the divorce settlement is fair for both parties. Both spouses must be satisfied with the agreed upon contract at the end of the collaborative divorce process.
Ultimately, you know your family better than anyone else, and being able to create your own solutions that impact your family’s future is important. A collaborative divorce attorney helps couples find those solutions. Spouses can keep the decision-making power within their own hands instead of relinquishing that power to a judge. As a collaborative divorce attorney, I can help guide you through the collaborative divorce process and keep the decision making under your control.
As a collaborative divorce attorney in Kansas City with more than 40 years of family law experience, I helped introduce the benefits of the collaborative divorce approach to Missouri in 2001. Since that time, I have conducted numerous training courses for other attorneys who wanted to learn more about the process and how their family law clients could benefit from it. If you are in the Kansas City area and believe a collaborative divorce is the right step for your family, contact collaborative divorce attorney Hugh O’Donnell to schedule a consultation, or feel free to call at (816) 533-5152 with any questions you have regarding the collaborative process approach.