Where to Find a Collaborative Lawyer

It is a good idea for the two of you to work together at selecting lawyers to carry you through the collaborative process. You both want to hire lawyers who have a proven demonstrated history of being able to successfully work together to bring parties to resolution through the collaborative process. Not all lawyers can work collaboratively. Lawyers are traditionally trained to work in opposition with each other, trained to think in the eventual possibility that a judge will determine who wins. Traditional lawyers do not think in terms of resolution because they are trained to think in terms of winning and losing, right and wrong. In the collaborative process everyone is a winner and there are no losers. If you use the collaborative process, you want to avoid hiring lawyers who have no experience working together in this new collaborative way, or worse yet, two lawyers who don't even know each other! In the old school way of doing things, one of you would go talk to a lawyer, that lawyer would promptly write a nasty letter or start a lawsuit or both, which in turn would prompt the other of you to engage what you hoped was an even nastier lawyer. The unspoken goal, traditionally, was to hire two sharpshooters for a shootout in court, with only one expected to be left standing in the end, in an attempt to prove who is right. When you are proceeding in the collaborative way, you want to avoid hiring lawyers who predominantly have honed their skills in the court room battlefield. But where do you find two experienced collaborative lawyers who have worked together for opposing parties? The answer is in a Collaborative Law Practice Group. A Collaborative Practice Group is a group of lawyers, coaches, child specialists and financial planners who have formed a group in their local community for the purpose of working together collaboratively. Members of a collaborative practice group regularly get together to practice their collaborative skills and to take further practice trainings together. The members of the Collaborative Practice Group of the Kootenays are all also Members of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP). There are Collaborative Law Practice Groups now in every major centre in North America, and in 14 countries worldwide. You can link to any of these worldwide practice groups and you can find a collaborative lawyer from the IACP website. (www.collaborativepractice.com)

Lawyers Working Together

The unique feature of the Collaborative Law Process is that opposing lawyers actually work together at helping the two of you settle your differences, rather than work in opposition. This arrangement benefits everyone involved. The lawyers remain independent legal advisors and your solicitor/client relationship is not compromised. How can lawyers representing opposing positions in a dispute work together? That is the art of practising Collaborative Law. That is also the reason why it is important for you and the opposing party to coordinate efforts at selecting the two lawyers for your team. It is best to select two collaborative lawyers who have a demonstrated in other successful cases that they have the ability to work on a team representing opposing parties. A Collaborative Law Group is comprised of lawyers who regularly work together for opposite parties. You do not want to hire lawyers who have never worked together, or worse, have never even met each other.

Collaborative Law - Did you know?

Collaborative Law Group of Nelson -- NoCourt.ca

• Collaborative lawyers are interested in helping opposing parties reach mutually acceptable terms of a legally enforceable Separation Agreement.
• You can apply for a no court divorce after you have reached the terms of a Separation Agreement through the collaborative divorce process.
• Alternative dispute resolution is about find solutions rather than proving who is right.
• It is very important that your rights and your children’s rights are protected through the terms of a separation agreement before you apply for a no court divorce.
• Divorce does not have to be a fight. Let us coach you to design your own final divorce order through agreement. The Collaborative Process is the dignified way to divorce.
• Collaborative lawyers are also trained mediators. But, a mediator alone cannot offer legal advice. In collaborative divorce, you have your legal adviser with you at all times.
• Collaborative lawyers are interested in the health and well being of their community more than helping you prove who is right. Collaborative divorce is a healthy and dignified and fair solution.
• Courts are about laying blame and finding fault. Collaborative divorce is no fault divorce. Collaborative law is about finding solutions to disputes.
• In the court process, a judge decides who is the winner and who is the loser. In a collaborative divorce, the each member of the family are winners.

Collaborative Law Group of Nelson -- NoCourt.ca

What is a Collaborative Practice Group?

A collaborative practice group is a group of lawyers and other helping professionals who have formed a connection so that they can collectively offer you a team approach to dispute resolution. It’s best for opposing parties to retain two lawyers who have worked together for opposite parties and have a proven record of success. You can find two such lawyers in a Collaborative Practice Group.

The Collaborative Law Group of Nelson is a collaborative practice group. Visit our site to learn more about our services. www.NoCourt.ca

Getting to Collaborative Law

Hi there,

I have been reading the venerable best-seller "Getting to Yes" by Roger Fisher and William Ury. Although first published over 25 years ago it is amazing to see how current it remains in relation to the increasingly popular phenomenon of collaborative Family Law. The fundamental principles have been around a long time! It just took savvy people, like Stu Webb and the thousands who have dared to break the mold and employed collaborative family law practice to resolve their own issues, to prove that it can work in the settlement of divorce cases. In fact based on my experiences, I would say that people are consistently getting better separation agreements, faster and cheaper using collaborative family practice. Here's to the pioneers! Lets keep up the good work

Out of Court Divorce - Collaborative Process

Out of Court Divorce - Nelson BC

The Collaborative Process:

• begins with a Participation Agreement
• when applied to divorce results in huge Benefits including less stress, lower costs and happier kids without going to court
• moves the focus from blame to resolution
• differs from mediation in that a mediator is a neutral party who cannot offer advice or opinions, where the collaborative process allows both parties to have active legal advisors - you are never on your own - your collaborative Lawyer is at your side explaining issues and helping you achieve goals by mutual participation and agreement

Out of Court Divorce Web Site

A Better Way to Divorce

No Court Divorce

Studies show that most marriages today are re-marriages. That means that most of us will be married more than once in our lifetime. And that means that we will each go through at least one uncoupling in our lives, maybe two or three, if we are statistically normal. Since it is the norm rather than the exception, why do some people still treat an uncoupling as a failure of some sort? We do not need to regard separation and divorce as some sort of pathological event. We can resolve the legal issues that arise when we decide to go our separate ways with ease, dignity and grace using the Collaborative Process, not to mention keeping our coin in our pocket.

Visit NoCourt.ca for more information.

From Blame to Resolution

Collaborative Law Group of Nelson
The court system is set up to find fault and lay blame. But the legal issues that arise when a couple separate have nothing to do with finding fault. Are you ready to move from blame to resolution?

The two basic legal issues following an uncoupling are: what do we do about the children, and, how do we divide our property and debt? Because pointing fingers and laying blame are not helpful exercises in determining these legal issues, the courtroom is probably not the best place to resolve issues concerning children or property after a separation. The Collaborative Process allows you to find mutually acceptable resolutions to the legal issues, in a kind and respectful way, without creating even more anxiety and stress for you, your children and your former spouse.

Visit the Collaborative Law Group of Nelson web site.

Collaborative Law Group of Nelson

The Collaborative Law Group of Nelson offers a healthy and dignified no court solution to divorce and other civil disputes to the residents of the East and West Kootenays, including Nelson, Castlegar, Trail, Salmo, Nakusp, Slocan, Creston, Kaslo, Silverton, New Denver and Rossland.

We are a group of independent professional lawyers, counsellors, financial advisors and child specialists who are all highly skilled mediators and trained at working together collaboratively to provide you and your family assistance when you need it most, that is, when you are moving through a family transition. We join professional Collaborative Practice Groups that have now formed in every major centre throughout North America and Europe so that the residents of the East and West Kootenay have available in the local area The Collaborative Way to Divorce, a concept created by Stuart G. Webb and Ronald D. Ousky in 1999, and now a book by the same name.

Visit the Collaborative Law Group of Nelson web site for more information.

Collaborative Law Group of Nelson

What is a collaborative practice group?

A collaborative practice group is a group of lawyers and other helping professionals who have formed a connection so that they can collectively offer you a team approach to dispute resolution. It’s best for opposing parties to retain two lawyers who have worked together for opposite parties and have a proven record of success. You can find two such lawyers in a Collaborative Practice Group. Visit our links page to find Collaborative Practice groups everywhere.

Collaborative lawyers are interested in helping opposing parties reach mutually acceptable terms of a legally enforceable Separation Agreement.

Collaborative Law Group of Nelson
Nelson, BC Canada

No Court Divorce

Did you know?

• You can apply for a no court divorce after you have reached the terms of a Separation Agreement through the collaborative divorce process.
  
• Alternative dispute resolution is about find solutions rather than proving who is right.

The Collaborative Law Group of Nelson offer a no court alternative for dispute resolution, including separation and divorce, to the residents of the Kootenays in British Columbia. Visit our site at NoCourt.ca for more information.

No Court Divorce - Nelson BC

• An order for divorce allows you to remarry.
• In Canada, an order for divorce does not resolve family property division issues. If you have property issues to settle, you can reach mutually agreeable terms of a Separation Agreement through the Collaborative Process.
• An order for divorce may be obtained without either person having to appear in court, but only if the grounds for divorce are separation of at least one year.
• A divorce proceeding in British Columbia can be started upon separation - that is, you can start the divorce, but you cannot get the final divorce order until you have been separated for at least a year.
• An order for divorce can be made without requiring your attendance in court only if there are not outstanding issues relating to child support. If you still have child support issues to resolve, you can reach the terms of a Separation Agreement through the collaborative process and then proceed to a no court divorce.
• Resolution Place Lawyers in Nelson provides a reasonable flat rate legal fee for a no court divorce anywhere in the Province of British Columbia. Contact Resolution Place Lawyers at divorce@resolutionlawyers.com or at (250) 354-1881
• Learn more about No Court Divorce processes at NoCourt.ca

Collaborative Law Group of NELSON

Collaborative Law Group of Nelson

The Collaborative Law Group of Nelson is an association of independent lawyers, mediators and other helping professionals who offer a no court alternative for dispute resolution, including separation and divorce, to the residents of the Kootenays in British Columbia. Visit our web site to learn more about the Collaborative Law Group of Nelson