Family breakdown. Why Collaborate?

The breakdown of a relationship, for whatever reason and whether the parties were married or cohabiting, is never easy and where there is property and other assets to consider it is always important that the parties receive sensible and sound legal advice.

The Family Team at Brachers always try to find a constructive way to deal with matters and we know that it is crucial that we achieve the right result for you and your family with a view to your long term future stability. In addition to assisting clients who wish to proceed to court in order to resolve their issues we can also offer clients the option to deal with matters through the Collaborative Law process with three members of the team, Stephen Smith, Margaret Sculpher and Mark Leeson, all being Resolution trained, experienced, Collaborative lawyers.

The benefit of Collaboration is that the lawyers, together with the parties themselves, seek to find a solution which will work for the parties and, where relevant, their children. For the main part negotiations take place in the context of a series of four-way (round the table meetings) where the parties and their solicitors are present to ensure transparency and to enable any issues to be dealt with together. If dealing with financial issues there will be full financial disclosure so everyone is fully in the picture and the parties can proceed in the meetings in the knowledge their lawyer is there to support them. Very often settlements are reached early on and legal costs can be saved.

Many clients report that they find the Collaborative process is actually positive and provides them with some essential skills which they and their former partner can use to ensure that they have a way of communicating and resolving issues with each other in the future. This is particularly important where children are involved. Collaboration lends itself to enabling parties to remain child focused and to ensure they are both happy the welfare of their children is being met as a first priority.

Collaboration also provides an excellent setting for the resolution of other issues such as pre-nuptial and cohabitation agreements where it is very important for both parties involved to be able to discuss matters and reach the correct outcome for them both with a view to their future happiness as a couple.

Collaboration can only take place where both parties decide that this is the right way forward for them and they each approach a Collaborative lawyer. All our collaborative lawyers regularly liaise with other collaborative lawyers to enable the right representation to be found for both parties.

The family team at Brachers are committed to ensuring that the right result is achieved for their clients and issues are, where possible, resolved in an amicable manner so as to ease what is often a very stressful and unsettling time. If you require any information in relation to any aspect of family law, including the court process, mediation or arbitration, then please speak to one of the family team. If you wish to receive advice on Collaborative Law then please speak to Stephen, Margaret or Mark for further information and advice.

This content is correct at time of publication