Collaborative Family Law
Deciding to end a relationship is a deeply personal decision, and when you have a family together making the right choices can be a difficult process. As a lawyer who practices collaborative family law knows, like one from The Mckinney Law Group, finding the right approach and solutions to effectively resolve conflicts can be full of ups and downs. When you and your ex have opposing ideas about how issues should be settled, it can seem like you will never see eye to eye. A lawyer will propose solutions that may help you find a suitable compromise so that you can continue to carry out decisions that serve your family’s best interests.
Consulting with a lawyer familiar with collaborative family law can be beneficial if you are seeking legal advice centered around coparenting and preserving strong family relationships. Here are some of the key points that make up the foundation of collaborative family law.
Resolving Conflicts
Collaborative family law refers to the strategies and methods that address conflict resolution. Couples who have a tendency to engage in disputes and lack strong communication skills may benefit from seeing a lawyer who specializes in this area of law. Sometimes there are sides to an issue that couples are unable to acknowledge or recognize. Individuals going through separation may be caught up in the process that they fail to recognize how their own attitude or behavior is resulting in counterproductive results. Collaborative family law is a great alternative to filing for divorce in the conventional way.
Identifying Shared Goals
Rather than fixating on what you and your ex don’t have in common, a lawyer will help you focus on your goals as parents. They may ask you questions about your values, your preferred approach to raising your child or children, and how you want to progress as a family following the separation or divorce. Knowing your shared goals will help take your mind off your differences so that you stay focused on advancing solutions that will benefit your child’s development and home environment.
Creating a Co-parenting Agreement
For parents, making a co-parenting agreement is a critical part of collaborative family law. You and your ex may have vastly different views and preferences on how involved you would like to be in your child’s life and who gets to make the decisions. However, a co-parenting agreement or plan that you both collaborate on can establish fair guidelines and boundaries on how parenting decisions will be made. Whenever a dispute occurs, you can refer to the language in the agreement.
If you need help with settling a divorce, contact a trusted lawyer who practices collaborative family law today.