We are currently offering consultations and meetings by telephone or video. Please feel free to reach out for assistance.

Call Today for A Consultation

A small fee will be charged for the initial consultation.

About Us

Family Law

Resources

Establishing Paternity
Florida Alimony Law
florida divorce laws

Collaborative Law

Dedicated Collaborative Law Attorney in Melbourne FL

No one benefits from a combative situation. The collaborative divorce process was created to find solutions for couples willing to work together to make decisions that improve their and their children’s lives. It’s about working together through diplomacy, respect, transparency, and cooperation.

Our collaborative law attorney at Figueroa Law Group has worked exclusively in Collaborative Divorce Law for the last 36 years, editing families’ lives.

Get away from the adversarial divorce process and collaborate with our dedicated lawyers! We know how to do it so you can focus on your life. Contact our Florida-based collaborative divorce attorney today for a consultation and to find out how we can help you work through your divorce without going to court.

Why Do I Need a Collaborative Law Attorney in Melbourne, FL?

Collaborative Law Attorney

If you and your spouse are considering ending your marriage, you may want to consider an alternative to litigation. A Collaborative law attorney in Melbourne, FL, can help you communicate with your spouse to develop a settlement that will ensure you and your spouse are treated fairly throughout the divorce proceedings. 

Collaborative law offers many benefits over traditional divorce proceedings. You and your spouse can make decisions together instead of fighting in court. An experienced and skilled Professional will help you negotiate so that both parties will be happy with the outcome.

There are plenty of good Collaborative Law attorneys, but finding the best one for you can be challenging, especially if you’re unsure what to look for. However, there are some qualities that every good Collaborative Law attorney should have:

Extensive experience in Collaborative Law

When working with a lawyer in Melbourne, FL, you want to ensure they have the experience and knowledge necessary to take care of your case. While it’s tempting to look at price as an indicator of quality, it isn’t always the case. A lawyer who charges less might have less experience or spend less time on your case.

In contrast, Figueroa Law Group has extensive experience in Collaborative Law. Our lawyers are trained in this area, and we’ve worked on many cases where Collaborative Law was the best choice. 

We can help you avoid the cost and stress of a trial, and we can represent you in court if necessary. Don’t take chances with your legal representation; choose a law firm that has been there before. Call the Figueroa Law Group and schedule an appointment today.

Strong communication skills

Figueroa Law Group is a collaborative law firm specializing in family law, divorce, child custody cases, and other family law matters. Our firm focuses on creating solutions where there is conflict and communicating with clients to get results that are tailored to each client’s individual needs. Communication is critical to any lawyer’s practice, but it stands out at Figueroa Law Group.

Trustworthiness

It’s essential to trust your lawyer. You’re giving them the power to make decisions for you, and those decisions can have a massive impact on your life. Your divorce lawyer should be someone you can rely on to get back to you, keep you informed about the status of your divorce case, and give you advice that helps you achieve your goals. 

At Figueroa Law Group, our collaborative lawyers are among the most trusted in the area. We’ve been building our reputation as a team of honest, hardworking attorneys who don’t just look out for our own interests but look out for yours too.

What is a Collaborative Divorce in Florida?

Collaborative divorce is an alternative to divorce court that offers you the comfort of having your own lawyer while allowing you to work with your spouse to achieve an agreement over the divorce’s difficulties. In a collaborative divorce (also known as collaborative law or collaborative practice), you and your spouse each hire highly trained collaborative lawyers who guide and support you in negotiating a settlement regarding the division of your property, the amount of spousal and child support, if any, and how you’ll share parental responsibilities. Both spouses and their attorneys sign a “no court” agreement as part of a collaborative divorce, which states that you’ll all work together to settle the case, and if you can’t, the attorneys will withdraw from the case before it goes to court.  This is a significant incentive to agree, as it compels you to hire new counsel and start over. Other experts, such as child custody specialists or impartial accountants, who are dedicated to helping you settle your case without a lawsuit, may also be involved in a collaborative divorce.

What is the Process for a Divorce Under Collaborative Law?

The following basic step-by-step process illustrates how most collaborative law divorces occur:

  • Each party engages an experienced attorney independently. Be essential to find a lawyer that supports mediation and understands the bargaining process when selecting an attorney. A lawyer who defends you with the passionate advocacy necessary in court will be less effective when attempting to compromise.
  • No court agreement. Both parties and their lawyers sign a “no court” agreement that instructs them to withdraw from the case if it proceeds to court.
  • Meet in private with your attorney, without your spouse or attorney present. Be sure to tell your attorney exactly what you want, but remember that you may have to make some concessions. Inform your attorney of your limitations. Before beginning discussions, you and your attorney should have settled on significant topics to keep the process moving smoothly and attain the optimal outcome for everyone involved.
  • You and your attorney have a meeting with your spouse and their attorney. This “four-way” encounter will most likely occur frequently. Other experts, such as child custody specialists and accountants, are frequently involved in collaborative divorces. These persons must be party-agnostic so that their feedback is not biased. Typically, specialists of this type are devoted to assisting you in resolving your dispute outside of court.
  • Contact a family or domestic relations court to submit divorce papers and a settlement agreement. As a result of your collaborative divorce, this file will be straightforward and uncontested.

Collaborative divorce can save you time, money, and worry associated with court proceedings. Most significantly, it can enable the parties to collaborate to find a solution that benefits everyone.

What are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Collaborative Divorce?

There are both advantages and disadvantages to collaborative divorce. Listed below are some of these advantages and disadvantages:

Pros

The collaborative divorce procedure is private. All elements of the divorce procedure and settlement are kept confidential.

A collaborative divorce can save you time. Unlike court proceedings, collaborative divorce proceedings are not subject to hearing dates. Therefore, you can resolve your problems much more quickly. A collaborative divorce typically requires less time to finalize than a divorce through the judicial system.

Cons

Trusting your soon-to-be-ex-spouse to disclose assets, debts truthfully, and other financial information might be challenging.

If you cannot reach an agreement, you will need to find a new counsel and re-file your case. This might result in added emotional and financial strain. Call our Melbourne law office today to learn how a collaborative law attorney can help you resolve the issue.

Frequently Asked Question on Collaborative Law in Melbourne

What distinguishes Collaborative Law from Mediation?

The foundation of both mediation and collaborative law is principled discussions.

  • Meeting with a single impartial mediator. In contrast to mediation, both parties meet with a single impartial mediator who cannot provide legal advice. Collaborative Law involves each side teaching their own cooperatively educated divorce attorney who is present at each session and can provide legal counsel as needed. All concerns are discussed in meetings, just as they would be in a mediation, except there are four participants instead of three: the two parties and their attorneys. The attorneys prepare for each meeting with each other and their clients, attend all sessions, and likely debrief each client after each meeting.
  • Difference in cost. Consequently, the collaborative law procedure might be more expensive than mediation since it involves more time from the attorneys. Nevertheless, this perspective cost differential is not devoid of evident advantages. 
  • Delays. The collaborative law process has the distinct advantage that the lawyers who will draft and agree on a final version of the court documents have participated in the process and, as a result, fully understand how you arrived at this point, reducing the likelihood of delays caused by a misunderstanding at this stage. The only way to mitigate the danger would be to locate a competent mediator and attorneys well-versed in the mediation procedure or maybe mediators themselves.

How long does the collaboration process take?

A benefit of the collaborative method is that a court-imposed schedule does not govern it. This means that the procedure may be tailored to your family’s unique schedule and goals since you and your ex-spouse define the agendas for these meetings.

In some circumstances, just a couple of sessions are required, while four or five are required in others. Regardless of the number of meetings required, your attorneys will be there to provide assistance and legal counsel.

What is the cost of a collaborative divorce?

When considering the cost of your collaborative divorce, it is essential to keep in mind that the cost of divorce extends beyond monetary expenses. Partners who choose to dissolve their marriage must keep in mind that divorce requires a significant investment of time and is nearly usually an emotionally draining affair.

A collaborative divorce can answer both problems: it is less emotionally taxing and distressing than traditional litigation and is typically quicker and less time-consuming. Even Section 61.55 of the Florida Statutes characterizes a collaborative divorce as a “unique non-adversarial approach” that protects the couples’ connection and “reduces the emotional and financial toll of litigation.”

However, the financial cost of a collaborative divorce differs from couple to couple; thus, it is vital to speak with an experienced family law attorney to understand how much your divorce might cost.

In most instances, the cost of a collaborative divorce in Florida is determined by the parties’ ability to collaborate and reach an agreement during the process.

Call our collaborative law attorney in melbourne, FL now!

When our clients decide to move forward and get collaborative divorced, the first thing we often tell them is that the most challenging part is sometimes deciding to take action. Once you make that decision, contact us right away. At Figueroa Law Group, we provide dedicated collaborative law services. 

We offer consultation to answer all questions and determine whether Collaborative Law is proper for you. By choosing a lawyer with specific expertise in family law and divorce, you are more likely to get positive results. Our dedicated, collaborative law attorney offers more than just experience, we can help you with your family law case in Melbourne, FL.

Facing Divorce or other family law matters? We can help!

A small fee will be charged for the initial consultation.

Call Us!

321-248-1011

Sidebar

Please note that a small fee will be charged for the initial consultation.

Please note that a small fee will be charged for the initial consultation.

Call our office to make a payment