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Collaborative Divorce allows you to divorce with dignity, respect, and cooperation. Each spouse retains a lawyer, and both lawyers conduct settlement negotiations to combine your ownership of the process with the assurance of legal protection. The process includes other Collaborative Divorce professionals, such as financial planners and therapists. You, your spouse, and your Collaborative Divorce 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.

Lawyers

Donna Babbs helps clients to move forward with their lives in a constructive and cost-effective way. With over 20 years experience as a family law lawyer and a strong commitment to Collaborative Practice, Donna works with clients to design their best strategy to manage conflict and achieve resolution to legal issues.

Dawn Bennett practises family law at one of Mississauga's largest law firms. She's studied law in England and Canada, and is a member of the Collaborative Family Law Practice Group. Dawn uses the Collaborative process to give her clients more power to determine the results obtained in their divorce.

Anne Freed is a 26-year family lawyer and mediator and holds a Master’s in Law in Alter-nate Dispute Resolution. Anne wants the public to have access to information, understand the process, and work towards a civilized and cost-effective resolution for the family. She is a firm believer in the collaborative process as a win/win method of accomplishing these objectives.

Judith Holzman has practised family law for over 31 years. She feels that the customized settlements and the speed with which Collaborative Law allows people to settle their differences and reach their goals allows for less stress on the parties and their children and a maximization of the family assets.

Sheila Kirsh, Chair and Founding Member of Collaborative Practice Toronto, has practised family law for over 25 years. She has expertise in resolving parenting problems, division of family assets, and support disputes. Sheila is a strong advocate of Collaborative Practice and welcomes the opportunity to assist you through the difficulties of separation and divorce in a private and respectful way, while helping you to maintain a healthy relationship with your children and preserve your financial assets

Barbara Kristanic restricts her practice exclusively to family law. Barbara has experience in all aspects of family law, including: custody, access, support and property division. Barbara is excited to offer her clients the option of resolving the issues arising from their separation through the process of collaborative family law.

Douglas Millstone has practised family law since 1976; advocating in court, negotiating principle-based settlements, mediating, and arbitrating. He has represented hundreds of children in custody and child-welfare cases for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer. Nothing has energized him more than empowering people to resolve their issues through Collaborative Family Law. He is a founding member of Collaborative Practice Toronto and has served on its executive.

Ken Nathens is a partner in the divorce and family law firm of Nathens, Siegel LLP. He assists clients with custody and access disputes, support issues, and property matters using Collaborative Law techniques, negotiation, and litigation. He is on the board of directors for the York Region Collaborative Law Association.

Brahm Siegel is a partner with Nathens, Siegel and is certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Family Law. In addition to collaborative law, he maintains an active mediation/arbitration practice and speaks at family law conferences. The co-author of McLeod Family Law Rules, he's also the consulting editor of Consolidated Ontario Family Law Statutes and Regulation and has been published in Canadian Family Law Quarterly.

Larry A. Silverberg is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1975. He practises Family Law in Toronto and York Region and surrounding areas. Larry has been participating in Collaborative Law negotiations since 2000 and believes that this process is truly an ideal alternative in settling family issues. He is a founding member of Collaborative Practice Toronto and serves on the Executive of the York Regional Collaborative Practice Group.

Susan Lynn Surtees practises Collaborative Family Law exclusively and is the Chair of the York Region Collaborative Practice Group. Susan is thrilled to offer her clients the option of Collaborative Law, as she strongly believes that families benefit both emotionally and financially from the Collaborative process.