The Collaborative Way to Divorce: The Revolutionary Method That Results in Less Stress, LowerCosts, and Happier Kids--Without Going to Court

by Stuart G. Webb, Ronald D. Ousky

The groundbreaking alternative for the millions of couples with children who face divorce each year—couples who want to avoid litigation, but don’t want to give up on getting what they want.

Even under the best circumstances, divorce can be marked by a range of painful emotions. But research now reveals that  how  a couple conducts themselves during a divorce has far greater impact on their children than the act of divorcing itself. Groundbreaking and revolutionary,  The Collaborative Way to Divorce  is the first guide to the Collaborative process, a nationally acclaimed approach based on the concept that both spouses hire legal representation, yet agree to resolve their differences  with no intention of ever going to court .

Stressing cooperation over confrontation and resolution over revenge, Collaborative divorce is fast transforming how couples dissolve their marriages, divide their assets, and reinvent their post-divorce relationships, particularly when they have children. Written by Stu Webb, the founder of the Collaborative law movement and Ron Ousky, an early pioneer of the process,  The Collaborative Way to Divorce  guides you through the steps of the Collaborative process so that you can make better, more informed, and more strategic decisions—resulting in a win-win outcome for you and your spouse.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2007

Reviews

[Douglas Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuart Webb, a Minnesota family lawyer, developed the “collaborative divorce” approach for those seeking to avoid the ugliness and financial ruin typical of divorce court. Collaborative divorce encourages soon-to-be-exes to drop the usual adversarial approach and instead work out a plan structured to keep conflict and costs to a minimum. Each spouse retains an attorney - trained in the collaborative divorce technique – to look out for them. Others, such as divorce coaches, child specialists, and financial and mental health professionals, round out a team that helps the couple keep emotional responses separate from legal decisions. The result is a settlement presented to the court as a fait accompli. This primer spends a fair amount of time convincing readers of the method’s soundness - while this may annoy some, it will reassure others. Terms like ‘safety,’ ‘dignity’ and ‘respect’ reinforce that the method can offer relative comfort during a difficult time. Ousky (also an attorney) and Webb note the process “is more about the quality of the settlement than about speed and cost.” Webb’s how-to style can seem choppy, but this is recommended, and parents will particularly appreciate the special consideration of children.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a helpful primer for those considering divorce.