Mediation is essentially the same process as a 4-way meeting. The significant difference is the presence of a mediator, and/or the fact that not all mediation includes the presence of attorney’s for the parties. The mediator either has experience and/or mediation training. The mediator is typically an attorney and may or may not have experience…
A very important part of the separation and divorce process is attempting to settle some or all of the issues arising out of the decision to end a marriage. Cases can be resolved before or after separation, after litigation is initiated, the day of any trial, or during a trial. Most cases will settle even…
This settlement approach is similar to the 4-way meeting. However, the parties and their attorney’s sign a contract wherein they agree that the information exchanged between them and their conversations will remain entirely private, that their attorneys will not represent them in the event litigation is initiated, and that the parties themselves agree to fully…
A 4-way meeting is an opportunity for the parties to meet with their attorneys present to talk, to review and/or exchange documents, possibly review each other’s financial statement (if the parties agree to prepare them for the meeting), and to learn from one another what their relative positions are. A client and his/her attorney should…
Collaborative divorce is a cooperative team approach to divorce that is gaining followers among the growing number of people who are seeking a more compassionate, less divisive alternative to the traditional adversarial approach to divorce. Rather than opposing each other in a courtroom where a judge determines how property and financial assets will be divided,…
“Bitter adversaries” is the presumed default setting for American divorce, yet many couples harbor no particular resentment toward each other when their marriage ends and would prefer to dissolve their union without rancor. Collaborative divorce offers couples the opportunity to end their marriage on their own terms and in their own way without adversarial litigation.…
