HOW do I get my partner to use Collaborative Divorce?
We recognize that it is often difficult and not always possible to have a candid discussion with your spouse about how you envision your separation and divorce. How do you get them to buy into the collaborative family law process? In our experience, what works is having one of the spouses attend for a meeting with a family lawyer to go over the collaborative process as well as family law in general. With this information, the spouses can start to have an informed conversation about next steps.
The first meeting with a family lawyer is often free as many firms offer free initial consultations. However, if costs are an issue, sometimes one spouse can pay for the initial consultation of the other spouse. Spouses can also agree that their legal fees in the collaborative family law process will be paid from the family assets and savings.
We will often suggest a list of potential collaborative family lawyers in B.C. or Alberta for the other spouse to contact and we will provide helpful links so that they can start researching collaborative divorce on their own.
The links below provide answers to various questions about collaborative divorce:
http://www.collaborativedivorcebc.com/
https://collaborativepractice.ca/
https://www.collaborativepractice.com/what-collaborative-practice
https://www.mediate.com/articles/ZeytoonianMbl20120228.cfm
https://familylaw.lss.bc.ca/visit/collaborative-family-lawyers
During the COVID 19 pandemic, Collaborative family law can be practiced by way of video conference remotely anywhere in B.C. or Alberta. Initial consultations and settlement meetings can take place by phone or video conference and documents can be shared by email. The family lawyers at Crossroads Law can work completely remotely and regularly represent people from smaller centres all over B.C. and Alberta.