Collaborative Divorce is a Better Alternative to a Litigious Divorce
A litigious divorce is a lengthy, expensive, and emotionally taxing process. Even for couples wanting an amicable divorce, the adversarial nature of traditional divorce can quickly move them to high-conflict leading to increased stress and cost.
The prolonged nature of legal battles often prevents individuals from moving on and finding closure. And worse, children caught in the middle of a litigious divorce can feel confused, and anxious, often impacting them academically and socially.
There is a better way.
For almost 35 years, Collaborative Divorce has been reducing the amount of stress and disruption to families going through divorce. In Collaborative Divorce, both lawyers work to keep the clients focused on a mutually agreeable settlement without going to court. And, with every divorce involving legal, emotional and financial concerns, Collaborative Divorce, with it’s team approach, is the only process that focuses on all three of these client needs.
In Collaborative Divorce, each party hires their own collaborative lawyer, and the lawyers choose a neutral financial professional (FP) and a neutral mental health professional (MHP) to join the Team. The FP gathers financial information from the clients and helps them understand the financial implications of various settlement options. The MHP manages the emotional aspects of divorce, and creates a parenting plan when children are involved. Including these divorce professionals reduces costs while providing invaluable benefits to the clients.
Collaborative Divorce works in even the most difficult fact patterns such as affairs and addiction. With an MHP on the Team, these common divorce issues are directly addressed more effectively than in litigation. Collaborative Divorce is completely private. Traditional divorce allows a party to seek court intervention resulting in the couple’s personal lives being on display in a public forum. Most importantly, in Collaborative Divorce, the clients retain complete control over the outcome and can tailor their agreements to meet their specific needs and circumstances.
Collaborative Divorce works because the Team creates a safe, positive and respectful (yes, spouses are held accountable where needed!) environment for the clients. This leads to better outcomes and a smoother transition to Divorce Day 2 for couples and their children.
As a Master Credentialed collaborative lawyer with over 30 years of family law experience, Carla Calabrese is the go-to lawyer for Collaborative Divorce. Her depth and breadth of family law and Collaborative Divorce experience give her clients an edge.
About Carla M. Calabrese
For two decades, Carla Calabrese has received designation from Texas Super Lawyers® and Best Lawyers in America (U.S. News - Best Lawyers®). For 15 years, she has been named among D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas. Texas Monthly recognizes her as a Top Women Attorney in Texas. Calabrese Budner LLP is named among the Best Law Firms in America (U.S. News - Best Lawyers®). Carla co-hosts the local family law podcast, Dallas Divorce Talk™️ (dallasdivorcetalk.com).
Photography by: Courtesy of Calabrese Budner