Collaborative Attorney or Divorce Attorney?

Question of the Day:

What happens if I choose a Collaborative atty and my spouse chooses a Divorce Atty. Does this cancel out the option of working thru the collaborative process? – Fran

Answer:

Fran: In Collaborative Law, all four parties sign an agreement that if there is no settlement reached, the attorneys must withdraw and the parties will have to hire new attorneys to litigate their case.  Settlement negotiations between attorneys is one way to reach an agreement. Collaborative Law is another way.  It uses different techniques like scheduled four-way meetings and agendas.  If one lawyer has been trained in Collaborative Law techniques and the other has not, it is hard for me to see how they will be on the same page.