One very important life lesson I have learned over the years is that the decisions in the aftermath of a separation can have big impact on whether you manage to contain the inevitable damage that follows the breakdown of a family.
The collaborative approach to relationship breakdown and divorce focusses on the needs of each person, rather than making decisions based purely on strict legal entitlements.
Its easy for lawyers to talk ‘collaboration’ but in my experience it is much harder for lawyers to truly be collaborative. To do so means doing away with all the traditional ways of being a lawyer.
A collaborative approach to family law separation demands that lawyers be open-minded, transparent, genuine, caring and supportive. It requires lawyers to work together with the clients and help them focus on making informed, calm decisions and reaching agreements for the benefit of all members of the family.
A genuine collaborative process assists clients to arrive at outcomes that can endure and also that provide realistic opportunities to be able to get on with life afterwards – without the baggage that so often follows people who have ended up in court and whom are thereafter left bitter, resentful, hurt and damaged.