San Francisco Collaborative Divorce Lawyer

California family law attorney helps you avoid going to court

Collaborative divorce – also called Collaborative Law or Collaborative Practice – gives couples the means of working together in a cooperative, non-adversarial process to reach the best result for themselves and their children. Katherine Shlaudeman Law and Mediation Practice helps California families by guiding her clients through the collaborative process so that they can reach lasting agreements civilly and respectfully. Katherine is ready to help you through your divorce in a way that may save you time, money, and the emotional toll of going to court.

A collaborative process

In collaborative divorce, each spouse hires an attorney, and all four work together toward a resolution that serves both of their interests as well as those of their children. All of the issues dealt with during a traditional divorce are addressed, including the following:

  • Child custody and visitation
  • Child support
  • Asset distribution
  • Division of marital debt
  • Sale or possession of the marital home
  • Temporary and post-divorce spousal support

However, rather than submitting disputes to a judge for decision, the couple and their attorneys work privately in a manner that gives the couple the power to determine their own future and may reduce the cost and length of a divorce.

The potential benefits of a collaborative divorce

The advantages of collaborative divorce are many:

  • Additional privacy: Since the agreement is worked out in private rather than in court, much less personal information goes into the public record.
  • Time savings: Couples may reach resolution more quickly in a collaborative process than in litigation, which often requires multiple court appearances and formal discovery.
  • Cost savings: A divorce obtained in a collaborative process may be less expensive than one obtained through litigation.
  • Less emotional turmoil: Litigation often escalates conflict and may have an emotional toll on the parties. In a collaborative process, a couple is provided with a constructive way of working together that may even allow them to maintain a cordial relationship after the divorce.

Not for everyone

For collaborative divorce to succeed, an atmosphere of trust must be created. This may not be possible in marriages where there has been domestic violence or emotional abuse.

If the collaborative process doesn’t work for you, you can transition to another resolution process. You and your spouse would hire new attorneys, and the discussions you had in the collaborative meetings would remain confidential.

Contact a reliable California collaborative divorce attorney

If you believe the collaborative divorce process could work for you, call Katherine Shlaudeman Law and Mediation Practice at 415-429-3102 or contact me online to schedule a consultation. I’ll give you all the information you need to move forward to a more hopeful future.

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