Collaborative Divorce Lawyers in Tampa

What Is Collaborative Divorce?

If you and your spouse are looking for a non-adversarial process to divorce, collaborative law might be the right option for you. The collaborative divorce process allows you and your partner to work with trained professionals to resolve disputes respectfully and without going to court—with both parties guided through the process by his or her own lawyer.

The commitment to settlement without court intervention is documented in a valid and binding agreement signed by both parties and their attorneys at the beginning of the process. This agreement is essential to the process and if settlement fails, the attorney must withdraw. 

In addition to the agreement, collaborative law offers you and your partner the advantage of access to jointly retained, neutral experts for issues requiring specialized knowledge, such as valuation of businesses, commercial appraisals, or parenting issues. This access to honest and even-handed advice aids in creating the best options for settlement possible. 

Three Steps to Begin the Collaborative Divorce Process

Navigating the divorce process can be intimidating, which is why our experienced collaborative divorce attorneys at Harris, Hunt & Derr, P.A. are by your side every step of the way.

To start the collaborative divorce process:

1. Meet with a collaborative divorce attorney: Our skilled attorneys are trained and experienced in the collaborative divorce methodology and if the process seems right for your situation, we will effectively walk you through the process from start to finish.
2. Refer your spouse to a trained collaborative divorce lawyer: It is typically better to leave the choice of an attorney to your spouse, but if they need assistance finding a lawyer trained in the collaborative process, referring them to www.tbacp.org is an excellent source for highly respected attorneys who practice independently of one another. 
3. Begin the collaborative divorce process: This transparent process allows both parties to be completely involved in the proceedings and provides you with greater control over your divorce. If at any time there appears to be fear or frustration around communicating effectively with your partner, we add a neutral communications facilitator to the collaborative team. This can help ensure that any dysfunctional habits don’t derail settlement and often, clients emerge from this process better able to communicate post-divorce.

St. Petersburg Collaborative Divorce Attorneys

The collaborative divorce process is often resolved through a series of joint sessions which include the clients, attorneys, and any other professional, if needed. Our attorneys will keep the group on a well-paced schedule to keep proceedings both time- and cost-effective. The entire group is dedicated to reaching a settlement that considers the needs, values, and goals of both parties and we have achieved successful settlements in over 95% of the cases that opt for the collaborative approach.

With offices in both Tampa and St. Petersburg, we are able to help a number of clients throughout the area, including Clearwater, Sarasota, Brandon, and Fish Hawk.