This is a method of practicing law where the parties and the lawyers
representing them agree to work towards settlement. If the parties are unable
to settle and it is imminent that adversarial proceedings will be filed, the
lawyers are required to withdraw. New lawyers must be obtained for trial. In
this method, the attorneys must focus on settlement and are free to use their
creative problem solving skills. It works best if several lawyers in the
community are trained in collaborative law so there are options for the
clients and lawyers to work together. In one community, Medicine Hat,
AB, collaborative law has replaced the adversarial family law system. (More information
on Medicine Hat) For more information about collaborative law, contact the
innovative attorney who designed this method of conflict resolution, Stu Webb
at stuwbb@aol.com. He maintains a list of
collaborative law contacts in many states and regions of the country and
provides trainings. The International Academy of Collaborative
Professionals is a network of collaborative professionals [www.collabgroup.com
] and they have an annual conference.
Collaborative Law is suitable for many types of law but most often occurs in
the domestic area. There is also a team approach using a counseling team and
financial advisor to work with a family in a collaborative process. You can
get more information about that approach at www.collaborativedivorce.com.
There is a site at www.divorcechoice.com
and it looks like a great model for organizing a community of lawyers who want
to do collaborative law.
Collaborative Attorney Victor Tousignant has written a helpful article
regarding Collaborative Law including information regarding use of the
approach in other practice areas. It includes examples of Collaborative
Law Forms.
Other sites to check out include: www.nocourtdivorce.com,
the Coalition for Collaborative Divorce, and www.collaborativedivorce.org.
There is also an active and
informative eGroup where members can discuss issues relating to Collaborative
Law.
Click to subscribe to CollabLaw
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollabLaw
Other sites to
check out, of regional significance:
www.collaborativelawsf.com
www.collaborativelawga.com
www.collaborativelawatlanta.com
www.famad.com
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