How can I encourage my partner to consider 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 a meeting with a collaborative family lawyer to go over the process as well as the law in general. With this information, the spouses can start to have an informed conversation about next steps.
Most collaborative lawyers offer a free initial consultation. However, if the initial consultation is not free and costs are an issue, sometimes the parties can agree that one spouse will pay for the initial consultation of the other spouse to get the process going. Thereafter, the spouses can also agree that their legal fees throughout the collaborative process will be paid from the joint family assets and savings.
As both parties must hire their own lawyer, we can provide a list of potential collaborative family lawyers in BC or Alberta for the other spouse to contact. We can also provide helpful resources so the parties can start researching collaborative divorce on their own.
The links below provide answers to various questions about collaborative divorce:
- Collaborative Divorce Vancouver
- Collaborative Divorce Alberta
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
- Key Differences Between Mediation And Collaborative Divorce
- Legal Aid BC 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.
