TRANSITIONS | Page 9

Civil Litigation (Negative) 1. Why should a parent choose civil litigation when 90% of divorce cases settle outside of the courtroom? Civil litigation is an adversary atmosphere by its very definition. Civil litigation does nothing to decrease the level of animosity between the parents. 2. Parents that maintain adversarial proceedings during the divorce process find themselves unable to effectively communicate with their ex-spouse. Parents typically have to run back to their attorneys to resolve future problems they have with one another. Collaborative Law (Benefit) allow parents: 1. The benefit of resolving their disputes OUTSIDE of the courthouse. 2. The ability to problem solve and collaborate with attorneys, mental health professionals 3. The ability to develop effectively communicate skills with their child’s other parent so as to meet the needs of their child during and after the divorce process. Collaborative (Negative) is seen by many parents as something that is outside of their price range. The biggest drawback to the collaborative practice of law is that if parties can not reach an agreement on EVERY issue they must start the process all over again. Proponents of collaborative law will tell you that the ALL OR NOTHING approach is what motivates settlement.