Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli Blog

Recently, Fox News did a video segment and report on collaborative divorce which featured two members of the New Jersey Collaborative Law Group (NJCLG), divorce lawyer Amy Schimalla and financial planner Jody D’agostini, giving an overview of the collaborative divorce process. (I’m one of the founding members of the NJCLG.) Though brief, the video does capture basic principal of collaborative divorce: the commitment to settle all the issues in the divorce by agreement instead of litigation. That is, couples agree to forgo traditional divorce litigation in court — which can be expensive and painful — by using a collaborative process to divorce. The couple and their attorneys sign an agreement that they are not going to resort to litigation in their divorce. Instead, the couple engage in a series of four-way conferences with their attorneys and work through all the issues that must be resolved in the divorce. Neither party files for divorce until they have a settlement completely worked out. The emphasis on cooperation keeps fighting to a minimum.  Since there is no litigation process, it is also a far cheaper alternative for couples looking to split up.

Here is a link to the story and video: Collaborative Divorce Can Save Money