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Winter Park Criminal & Family Attorneys > Winter Park Family Law Attorney > Winter Park Collaborative Divorce Attorney

Winter Park Collaborative Divorce Attorney

While divorce usually involves a sense of sadness and loss as one chapter of life comes to an end so that a new one can begin, all too often complex, expensive, and unnecessarily hostile legal issues come up in the divorce process, generally making matters worse for all involved. But getting a divorce doesn’t have to be this way.

At Cotter & Zelman, P.A., we champion the concept of the collaborative divorce, which is a process by which divorcing parties avoid court and conflict as much as possible, while still benefiting from the legal guidance of seasoned, experienced Winter Park collaborative divorce attorneys. As certified family law mediators, we will work to obtain fair and just resolutions for you and your children while promoting peace and harmony among family members.

What is Collaborative Divorce and How Does It Work?

In a typical divorce, one spouse will sue the other in court for a divorce, and the divorcing spouses will present evidence regarding their assets, the events of the marriage, their children, and their financial needs before a judge, who will make final decisions regarding alimony, property division, and children. This process can be time-consuming, expensive, and stressful, especially where significant assets and disagreements regarding children is involved.

In a collaborative divorce, divorcing spouses and their attorneys sign an agreement by which they pledge to work together to create a divorce agreement, and if the parties cannot reach an agreement, the lawyers will withdraw from representation. What this means is that the attorneys have added incentive to work collaboratively to reach a fair and suitable agreement and to work economically and efficiently on your behalf.

Once the parties reach an agreement suitable to both sides, the agreement will be filed with the court and the divorce can most likely be finalized soon after.

Is Collaborative Divorce Right for Me?

There are numerous aspects of collaborative divorce that you will want to consider in determining whether it is right for you:

  • Attorney Guidance without Attorney Conflict: Parties in a collaborative divorce benefit from constant guidance of their own personal attorney, who can apprise them of their rights and responsibilities under Florida law. But in a collaborative divorce, both parties’ lawyers will work together to reach agreement, as opposed to fighting each other.
  • A Certain Level of Commitment Required: When entering into the collaborative divorce, you are not agreeing to be bound by a result, but only to work together to try and reach a mutually beneficial result. This is unlike going to court, where both parties will be bound to the judge’s decision. However, there is still much at stake when agreeing to the collaborative process, since the failure to reach agreement means you must basically start over from the beginning in building your case for court.
  • The Parties Control the Outcome, Timetable, and Costs: Unlike in court, parties entering into a collaborative divorce make the decisions on how much time they want to spend on the divorce process, what costs should be included, and how all financial and family matters should be resolved.
  • Privacy: Unlike in court, where appearances and exhibits containing personal and financial information may be open to the public, parties in collaborative divorce may keep such matters private between them and their lawyers.

The only requirement to get started on a collaborative divorce is a willingness of the spouses to work together towards positive solutions. Thus, for many divorcing spouses, collaborative divorce is a great option.

Certified Family Law Mediators with Decades of Family Law Experience

At Cotter & Zelman, P.A., our lawyers have six decades of experience between them, and both are certified family law mediators, thus they have many years of experience in promoting collaborative and conducive resolutions to family law matters.

Contact Our Winter Park Collaborative Divorce Attorneys

If you are interested in pursuing a collaborative divorce, contact Cotter & Zelman, P.A. Contact us at 407-629-4711 to schedule a free consultation.

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