Okanagan Collaborative Family Law Group

The Collaborative Divorce Process

The Collaborative Process is a settlement approach for resolving issues in a separation and divorce matter. Spouses who use the Collaborative Process are in charge of their negotiations and have considerable input into the way in which their dispute will be resolved. Each spouse retains a Collaborative Divorce Lawyer and, together, will develop a Collaborative 'team' to work towards a resolution.

The members of the 'team' are the client, and the Collaborative Divorce Lawyer. Depending on the circumstances and complexity of the dispute, the client and the Collaborative Divorce Lawyer may decide to retain other members to the team. The intention of having multiple team members, also known as a 'multidisciplinary team', is to simplify the complexity of the case and provide for better understanding of this complexity in order to achieve a better resolution of the dispute for the family.

Each member of the team signs a Participation Agreement. This Agreement governs the working relationship between all. One of the central terms of the Participation Agreement is that neither spouse can use the Court system (unless it is agreed such as applying to obtain a divorce). Progress is made in the Collaborative Divorce Process through informal meetings involving the couple, the Collaborative Divorce Lawyers, and other members that may be selected for the 'team'. These members may and often do include the Divorce Coach*, and the Financial Specialist.