Collaborative practice is a legal process that enables divorcing couples to work with their own lawyers and other family professionals to achieve a settlement that best meets the specific needs of both spouses and their children without the underlying threat of litigation. The clients pledge to be transparent; they will be open and honest regarding all issues in their divorce, like their finances and matters that affect custody.

A facilitator guides the team towards resolution, avoiding emotional and psychological pitfalls that could derail the negotiations. A financial professional helps the clients to pull together the information, understand the financial issues, and prepare schedules for the financial issues involved in a divorce, i.e. equitable distribution, alimony, and child support. The goal of collaborative practitioners is to aid spouses in the restructuring of their family in a way that meets the clients’ and their children’s best interests.

A talented collaborative professional brings a remarkable understanding of the collaborative process and mindset to the table. She finds a way to communicate that to others, to her professional teammates as well as to the team’s clients. She learns helpful skills that are not only useful in collaboration, but in other forms of dispute resolution and litigation, and in life, as well. Her focus is to help and not to hurt.

Not only are the attorneys of Open Palm Law collaboratively trained, but they train other professionals and speak often on issues related to collaborative practice. Additionally, sister company, Open Palm Press, publishes books on collaborative practice, and the attorneys and staff of Open Palm Law write frequently on the subject.