Okanagan Collaborative
Family Law Group

• creates positive solutions
• saves you money
• respects all participants

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What is collaborative family law?

Collaborative family law is a process where everyone agrees to work together (to collaborate) to create acceptable solutions that work well for both parties, and without going to court.

There are some basic differences between the collaborative approach and the traditional approach. In the collaborative approach:

• Both parties agree to stay out of court
• The emphasis is on creating solutions that address the values and goals of both parties and their children
• The sole objective is to reach an efficient, fair comprehensive settlement of all issues.

Clients are invited to consider how they want to resolve matters and how they might best go about creating or achieving positive solutions for themselves, their children, and their families. This can bring about a completely different outcome from the traditional adversarial approach.

The clients can access an interdisciplinary team of professionals to assist with their case. These professionals include divorce coaches, child specialists and financial advisors. Divorce coaches are communication specialists that can support clients with the emotional issues, enhance communications between the team members and assist parents to develop healthy strategies for effective co-parenting.

What are the benefits of collaborative law?

All parties, including children, benefit from the collaborative process:

• The atmosphere is completely different. It is collaboration or working together toward solutions, as opposed to an adversarial approach where one party often feels "the winner" or the "the loser."
• Your feelings and values are honoured and respected.
• There is usually less animosity in this process and therefore can be much easier on the children.
• The process is relatively fast and efficient, and therefore, less costly than litigation.
• It can be far less stressful and anxiety producing.
• You don't go to court.

How does the collaborative process differ from straight mediation?

Most of the lawyers in this group are also highly skilled and trained mediators. However, mediation still holds the threat of court action over the participants, while the collaborative process involves commitment to create a solution without going to court.