Collaborative Law

Experienced Collaborative Family Law Attorney

Dallas-Fort Worth | Tarrant County | Collin County | North Texas

In the past, there were basically three primary ways to resolve family law issues and disputes. The attorneys for the parties could negotiate a solution, the parties could agree or submit to mediation or arbitration, or they could go to court and put their fate in the hands of a judge or jury.

With the development of collaborative family law, people now have another means to resolve the various issues arising out of any contested family law matter, including divorce. Anne Turner Beletic has been advising and representing clients in family law since 1984. She has successfully represented numerous clients using the collaborative family law process and believes it offers many benefits compared with traditional dispute resolution techniques.

The Collaborative Law Process

Collaborative family law begins with the premise that in some situations, the parties to a family law disputes can set aside their emotions and develop a solution that is rational, practical and fair. In the collaborative law process, each party is represented by a lawyer. Third party mental health or financial experts may be part of the "team" as well. The parties, their lawyers and third party professionals, if applicable, meet to identify areas of disagreement and the nature and extent of those disagreements, and to explore possible solutions that each party can accept in a non-adversarial manner.

The process is best suited for relatively amicable divorces where a number of issues need to be resolved, such as child custody and visitation, spousal support, division of property and other matters. If it becomes apparent that a particular problem cannot be resolved through the collaborative law process, then the parties can resort to binding arbitration, mediation, or other non dispute resolution methods. As a last resort, they can resort to litigation, but must fire the collaborative lawyers and retain new counsel.

The Benefits of Collaborative Family Law

Collaborative law can work only when both parties are committed to achieving a fair solution outside the courtroom. Collaborative family law has many benefits:

• Families can resolve their disputes amicably and continue to parent their children cooperatively after divorce.
• It can be less costly than litigation
• The parties themselves control the process, not a judge or jury
• The results are generally achieved in a less stressful and emotional manner
• Children benefit greatly from the calmer emotional environment the process encourages

Collaborative family law is not right in every situation. Attorney Anne Turner Beletic can explain the benefits of collaborative divorce and discuss whether it is right for you.

Contact us at 214-953-0017 or by e-mail. We serve clients in the Dallas area, Tarrant County, Collin County and across north Texas, including the communities of Plano, Flower Mound, Lewisville and Denton.