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Collaborative Family Law

The Collaborative Law process is one where both former spouses and their lawyers work as a team to try to create solutions which will best suit the separated family as a whole, putting the best interests of any children at the forefront of the discussion.

In the individual sessions, Ms. Herriot-Howes as your lawyer, would be providing you with legal advice and generating options for resolution based on her wealth of family law experience and knowledge as well as her dedication to peaceful resolution, where possible. These options for resolution may, if you agree, be raised in the joint sessions with your former spouse and his or her collaboratively trained and qualified family lawyer.

The joint work is done in a series of meetings, where both former spouses and both collaboratively trained and qualified lawyers are in attendance. If and where necessary and agreed in advance, the clients and the lawyers may invite third party professionals such as social workers, accountants, financial planners and other professionals who may be able to provide valuable information, to attend the meetings and assist as necessary to move the matter forward to peaceful closure. The clients explore settlement options as the lawyers guide the process and advise their respective clients from the outset of the sessions all through to the final agreement. Then, the lawyers draft a legally binding contract, review it with their clients, and once signed by both former spouses having been properly advised as to their rights and obligations, the matter is concluded, peacefully and respectfully.