About Collaborative Practice

Collaborative Practice allows you to divorce with dignity, respect, and cooperation. Each spouse retains a lawyer, and both attorneys conduct settlement negotiations to combine your ownership of the process with the assurance of legal protection. The process includes other Collaborative Practice professionals, such as financial planners and therapists. You, your spouse, and your Collaborative Practice team agree to be cooperative, forthcoming, and willing to work together to achieve a resolution. If you can't reach an agreement, both lawyers (and their respective law firms) as well as the other collaborative professionals must withdraw from the case.

By choosing Collaborative Practice to settle your divorce, you'll enjoy these advantages:

• Lower costs
• Less stress
• Create win-win solutions
• Learn creative problem-solving techniques
• Retain control over your future
• Avoid court
• Protect your rights, assets, and your family
• Less bitterness, anger, and conflict

Lyn C. Conniff, J.D. A practicing attorney for 20 years, Lyn's concentration is family law. Lyn is also trained in family law mediation and collaborative law. Lyn is committed to the collaborative process and to reaching an amicable resolution outside the legal process. The cornerstone of a successful collaborative divorce is a focus on the family's (especially the children's) needs and interests. A divorce with dignity must focus on each family member's needs and interests and not on winning and losing.

Sandra Crawford, J.D., Attorney/Mediator is a leader in the Collaborative Practice community in Illinois and a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She is also a member of the Illinois State Bar and frequently writes and speaks on issues regarding dispute resolution, children, and family. Sandra is committed to being "part of the solution, not part of the problem".

Dr. Gail Petrich, M.A., J.D., Psy.D. is an attorney, psychologist, and mediator. She is especially equipped to promote emotional safety and to support families in making decisions for their future. She acts as an attorney, divorce coach, child/parenting specialist, parent coordinator, or communication specialist. Dr. Petrich is trained in child-custody evaluations, high-conflict personalities, and crisis management. She has worked in family law for 12 years and in family therapy for over 12 years, with offices in Cook and DuPage Counties.

Sandra Rosenbloom, J.D. believes in providing effective advocacy with dignity and compassion for her clients by helping them resolve their disputes effectively through collaborative practice and mediation. She is a Fellow and Director of the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois, a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, a former editor of the Collaborative Review, a member of the Mediation Council of Illinois, and Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola University of Chicago Law School. She practices in Lake and Cook Counties.

Kevin H. Saville, J.D., Attorney/Mediator is a Fellow in the Collaborative law Institute of Illinois, and member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. Also a member of the Du Page County Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. After practicing family law for over 14 years, he found that the collaborative process is ideal for those couples who want to maintain their dignity and privacy while being actively involved in crafting creative solutions and minimizing conflict.

Visit www.divorcemag.com/articles/Collaborative_Law to find out the benefits of collaborative divorce.