Skilled advisors guide you through an alternative to traditional Divorce.
You and your spouse will have skilled advisors at every stage of the process. Everyone involved agrees in advance to work ONLY toward a settlement which meets the priorities of you and your spouse, and is in the best interest of the family.
We All Work Together
In the collaborative process, husbands, wives, their attorneys, along with other necessary professionals working with the family, agree to resolve all issues of their case without a fight in court. You work
together to craft an agreement that gives you and everyone else in the family the best possible result.
All of The Facts are on the Table
Collaborative Law requires that both you and your spouse provide a full and honest report of all financial, support and parenting information to each other. You and your spouse cooperate to gather all
financial and other necessary information to make decisions concerning the division of money, property (such as houses and cars) and other things you own (assets); In addition, information about what you owe (debt), and what you earn, your work and travel schedules are all considered to help you work through child support, spousal support and parenting issues. Child development specialists may be consulted if there are complicated or special parenting problems. The reports are done informally, helping you to avoid the expensive and confrontational legal tools such as depositions, interrogatories and document requests utilized in traditional litigation method cases. Each of you will sign an asset and income statement under oath, assuring both of you that everything is “on the table”.
For the Good of the Family
Please take a few minutes to discover how Holdsworth & Allen’s Collaborative Law approach can help you and your family move forward without the heart-ache and expense of a courtroom
battle.
Avoid the Costs of Duplicate Experts
You and your spouse will be able to retain neutral experts and consultants, if needed, to appraise real estate and antiques. If one or both of you own a business, the experts will provide business valuations
or other assistance in determining a fair value of what you and your spouse own. There is no need for both of you to retain an expert, one expert is retained to independently report back to both you
and your spouse the fair market value of what you own. Neutral accountants can be employed to trace assets and prepare financial and income projections. Of course, each of you will have your own independent lawyer to assist and advise you through the process. In a “traditional” divorce, each of you would often hire a separate expert, often leading to double the cost, and possibly limiting your ability to come to the best solution, as each expert may not have all the facts necessary to give the best advice.
Everyone is Part of the Team
You and your spouse, along with the attorneys, are the team that will get the job done. This is in sharp contrast to the traditional litigation method of divorce where there is often a “win at any cost” mindset by spouses and / or the attorneys.
Costs are Reduced
In dissolution cases there is often the need to hire an outside expert. Items may need to be appraised, the value of a business, the family home, cars and taxes will need to be addressed. Under the Collaborative Law process, the Team can select an expert / experts who are acceptable for everyone. No need to hire multiple experts who’s different opinions may confuse the process, and create additional conflicts.