"My husband says we'll save a lot of money using the collaborative approach because we will share a divorce lawyer. Is that really how collaborative family law works?"

In a collaborative family-law matter, each party is represented by their own divorce attorney. The parties cannot share a divorce lawyer. While both parties have their own lawyers, the parties, their attorneys, and any neutral financial or mental-health professionals work together to resolve all the issues in the divorce without going to court. Since the parties are not filing motions and their divorce lawyers are not arguing back and forth and have not each hired their own set of accountants or other experts, the collaborative approach ends up being less costly than a traditional litigated divorce.

Lori Barkus is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator and Circuit Civil Mediator and is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Collaborative Family Lawyers of South Florida.

Tuesday, February 14
at 8 pm to 8:30 EST
Preparing for Divorce Mediation - 5 Steps of Negotiation Power to get what you want
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