Why use collaborative divorce instead of mediation?
In a divorce mediation, clients negotiate with each other through a neutral third party (the mediator) who facilitates a discussion of the issues with a goal of making an agreement. The mediator is not permitted to provide legal advice. As with any mediation, an agreement is not mandatory. That is, either party can walk out of the mediation at any time. Generally, there is little face-to-face interaction between the parties. The mediator relays and negotiates proposals between each party and their attorney while they sit in different rooms. The parties may elect not to have their attorneys present at the mediation in order to make the mediation less adversarial. If the attorneys do not attend the mediation and a tentative agreement is made between the parties, the attorneys review the agreement afterwards to determine if it meets their client’s needs. If the agreement is seen as inadequate, it may be negotiated further. In a collaborative divorce, both clients and their attorneys mee
