Collaborative Law

With more than 30 years of experience in the practice of law in Ventura County and Southern California, the Ventura divorce lawyers at Richard Ross Associates are well versed in all aspects of conflict resolution in divorce and other family law matters, from courtroom litigation to alternatives such as mediation and collaborative law.

What Is Collaborative Law?

A newer type of alternative dispute resolution, collaborative law may also be known as collaborative family law, collaborative mediation, or out-of-court divorce. The process is similar to mediation, with some important differences.

The collaborative model begins with all parties making a serious commitment to the success of the process. The Oxnard collaborative lawyers agree that if the mediation is not successful, the lawyers will withdraw from the case and will not proceed to litigate the matter in court. This commitment places a great deal of positive pressure on all the parties to resolve the matter in the mediation. Although the divorcing spouses are still free to go to court if they choose, they must hire new attorneys and start over from scratch, which increases the time and expense of the entire process. Therefore, both the parties and the attorneys have an incentive to resolve their issues in the mediation.

The collaborative model takes care of common criticisms of mediation—that Westlake Village attorneys either hold back information during or abuse the process to gather important information that they then use against the other party in court, rather than truly attempt to reach an agreement.

Why Collaborative Law?

Both mediation and collaborative law offer alternatives to court that resolve the issues in a divorce in a manner that is sensitive to spouses' needs and emotions. A knowledgeable Camarillo collaborative lawyer may recommend collaborative law to couples who are considering mediation or are amiable towards one another. Collaborative law in particular seems to create an atmosphere of dignity and mutual respect among all the parties. The focus in collaborative law is not just finding a solution that works for the client, but crafting an agreement that is in the best interests of both spouses, children, and the entire family dynamic.

Contact Us

Collaborative law is successful when both Thousand Oaks divorce lawyers have been trained in the model, and both clients are willing to commit to its success. Contact Richard Ross Associates for a free consultation to explore whether your case may be suited for a resolution using collaborative law.