Collaborative Law
At Harvey Ingram, our team of family lawyers can offer an alternative method to resolving family law dispute - Collaborative Law
We recognise that the experience of separation or family breakdown has a far deeper impact than the strictly 'legal' approach can address.
Collaborative law is a process whereby clients agree to come to the table with their respective collaborative lawyers and all four enter into a participation agreement, effectively contracting out of a contested court process, for the duration of the collaborative process. All parties commit to work to find a fair outcome, acceptable to the parties. Settlements are achieved mainly through meetings between both clients and their lawyers.
The collaborative law approach is mediatory in style, looking at the parties' options, and embracing interest-based negotiations. Once reached, agreements are drawn up by the collaborative lawyers then minutes of content can be ratified by the court. Other professionals can be involved to help the clients and their children on occasions, to cope with the emotional, financial and other issues arising out of the family breakdown. If the process fails then neither the collaborative lawyer nor the firms may take the case to court. This is known as the disqualification agreement.
Our specialist collaborative lawyers act for clients across the country from our offices in Leicester, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Newport Pagnell.
The Principles of Collaborative Law
At the start of the collaborative process, our lawyers will provide clients with the best possible opportunity of achieving the best resolution they can for their family - the good divorce.
You are most likely to achieve this through a transparent process of discussion with trained a collaborative lawyer, backed by family consultants. We will:
- Assess whether you can meet the demands of the process and provide reasonable means to help
- Work to identify the issues that must be addressed to enable the good divorce to be achieved
- Provide experience and advice to work out the issues
- Manage the process to move the parties through to a conclusion
Our collaborative lawyers support these, which include an absolute prohibition on contested court process.
We will provide clients with high quality legal advice about the process and the likely court outcome at an appropriate stage during the process.
The watchwords are client protection and appropriateness (i.e. we only do CP where it is the right option).
We attach prime importance to the quality and reliability of the services that will be offered by our members:
- On the one hand, clients must be given high standards
- On the other hand access to the discipline must not be exclusive
- We shall be brief and work in plain English.
If you would like to speak to one of our collaborative lawyers, complete our family law enquiry form and one of our family law team will contact you shortly.
Contact Us - Collaborative Law
For further information on collaborative law, or any family law issue, please contact one of our family lawyers.
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