COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE LAWYER

Not all divorces have to weave their way through the traditional adversarial court system. In some circumstances, the process of a Collaborative Divorce is a better option. A Collaborative Divorce is designed to help families reach a positive resolution of all issues relating to their marriage in a manner as far away from the court room as possible.

The Process – Committed to Settlement

While each divorce ultimately enters settlement discussions at some point, the parties may still not have the resources before them that assist with settling the case in a timely manner when the matter comes to the settlement stage. A Portland Collaborative Divorce, however, often helps parties work through their differences in a constructive manner by providing each of the required necessary tools. During a Collaborative Divorce, the parties work with experienced lawyers, mediators and divorce coached to help end their marriage quickly and peacefully. The ultimate goal of a Collaborative Divorce is to settle all the issues. With this in mind, the parties agree to adhere to specific requirements before starting the Collaborative Divorce process. One specific requirement is that at the end of the day, if the parties are unable to settle the matter, the attorneys involved are disqualified from representing their client in the traditional sense moving forward. This disqualification emphasizes the settlement orientated process and ensures that the attorneys are fully engaged in helping the parties resolve their differences.

Who is Responsible for the Outcome?

The parties are ultimately responsible for the outcome of their matter. Because the attorneys are there to assist and the process happens outside the courtroom, the parties have full power to settling the divorce and how all issues relating to the divorce, including parenting time, custody, property distribution, will take place. During the meeting, the parties are allowed to have open dialog while being guided away from the fear, anger, apprehension, or frustration that a traditional adversarial proceeding may create.

Is a Collaborative Divorce Right for Me?

Every situation is different and no two cases are the same. Ultimately, the process only works for parties that are truly interested in resolving the issues out of court. This interest may arise from not wanting to make public all issues relating to your family, not wanting to appear before a judge, wanting to have full control over the parenting time of your children, or simply wanting to start the co-parenting of your children off on the strongest footing possible rather than going through a truly adversarial process in a court room. Whatever your desire is for wanting a Collaborative Divorce over the traditional model, the Portland, Oregon family law attorney at Gzik Law, PC can help guide you through the process.

When Can I use the Collaborative Divorce Process?

Anytime there is a dispute whether it is pre-divorce or post-divorce, a Portland Collaborative Divorce attorney can help. The process is meant to help resolve disputes and has been specifically tailored for family law issues ranging from assisting with change in custody, modifying parenting time, changing spousal support (alimony), or helping decide issues relating to co-parenting the children. The process can be used at any stage.

Costs and Attorney Fees

Gzik Law, PC offers family law initial consultations for a flat-fee of $100.00. During the initial consultation, we will discuss the issues relating to your divorce and the potential fees and costs associated with each step, including if a Collaborative Divorce is right for your specific situation.

Gzik Law, PC is proud to serve the entire Portland Oregon Metropolitan area, including Portland, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Bethany, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Forest Grove, Scappoose, McMinnville, Cornelius,  Gresham, West Linn, and Oregon City.