Collaborative practice is another way of voluntarily resolving your dispute without going to court.  In common with mediation, you and the other party are the decision makers and in control of the process, but you will have your lawyer with you throughout to give you advice and guidance.

Collaborative practice is a fairly new way of sorting out your differences, but it is already popular, particularly for family disputes.  At the start of the process, both sides sign a participation agreement setting out the issue and agree not to go to court.

Crucially, in collaborative practice the lawyers involved are not allowed to continue representing you if the process breaks down and you do go to court.  This ensures everyone is committed to agreeing a settlement.

Negotiation takes place at four-way meetings, where you, the other party and your lawyers can discuss all the issues.  Keeping communication open in this way helps to avoid misunderstandings while allowing you to express your needs and concerns.  You can also involve other professionals in your discussions, such as child development specialists and accountants.

We have a number of specially trained collaborative lawyers who can explain in more detail how it works and help you decide if your case is suitable for the process.