Collaborative Law
Are you considering divorce or separation from your partner but dread the thought of a messy and contentious court battle? Are you and your partner able to communicate in an open and honest way in order to decide the terms of your divorce? Do you want to avoid spending many thousands of dollars on a drawn-out contested court hearing? Do you both still honestly care about one another and want to treat each other with respect, integrity and kindness during and after your divorce or separation?
If your answer is yes to these questions, you should consider having a Collaborative Law divorce. A Collaborative divorce begins with you and your spouse or partner each selecting your own specially-trained collaborative law attorney. A list of those attorneys in this area is set forth below.
The Collaborative Law process involves a series of four-way meetings (both of you and your attorneys) to discuss the issues, exchange all relevant information and decide what terms will be most beneficial to the family as a whole. If experts are needed, such as real estate appraisers, financial or tax advisors or child experts, you and your partner would select one neutral person to help, rather than having two “dueling” experts.
Once the terms are worked out for all the issues (children, property, debt, retirement accounts, spousal and/or child support, etc.) it is put in the form of a written settlement agreement. Only then is the divorce action filed with the courts. In this way, the timing of the case is controlled by the parties, not by the court’s calendar. The parties can then request an uncontested hearing date.
Collaborative Law attorneys have been specially trained in this methodology and, as required by our guiding principles, we are so committed to the idea of reaching an agreement, if we are not successful, the attorneys must withdraw. Fortunately, this rarely happens as most cases using this method are settled to the satisfaction of both parties.
If you would like to learn more about collaborative divorce and whether it is right for you, please call our office at 866-5500 and ask for Kerry Clark Jordan. She would be happy to speak with you.
Your spouse or partner would need to hire his/her own collaborative attorney from the list below:
Armanda Beal Day, Esq. (207)947-0303
Jane S.E. Clayton, Esq. (207)947-6915
Amy L. Faircloth, Esq. (207)941-8443
Angela M. Farrell, Esq. (207)990-3314
Steven J. Mogul, Esq. (207)942-4644