Because divorce is not only an end, but also a new beginning, many couples want a more constructive way to end their marriages. Divorces can be sane and civil by using the collaborative process.
There are no winners in family law litigation, but children are the guaranteed losers in an adversarial system.
In 2007 Pamela S. Wynn was a member of the first family law firm in Palm Beach County to exclusively use the collaborative process for divorce. Now through Pamela S. Wynn, LLC, she continues to exclusively represent clients committed to participating in their divorce using the Collaborative Law process. This decision was based on her commitment to children, her previous work with families in crisis in the Florida court system and many years of litigating family law cases.
Despite the contested nature of traditional litigation, 98 percent of cases are resolved without having a judge make the decisions. However, these resolutions are often made on the eve of the trial after substantial amounts of time and money have spent preparing for trial. In the course of preparing for litigation, parties engage in an adversarial positioning that is often intrusive, combative, embarrassing and has a corrosive effect on the families involved.
The Collaborative Process for divorce is a thoughtful alternative that can reduce the stress, lower the cost and create agreements that are based on your family’s unique circumstances in an environment that doesn’t aggravate the underlying issues causing you to seek a dissolution of your marriage.
What Does Using the Collaborative Process Mean?
Participating in the collaborative process means that you make a commitment to being truly present and to engaging in the process. It does not mean that you have an uncontested divorce. It means you are committed to settling your differences between the two of you, rather than relying on the judge to make decisions about your family.
Why Use the Collaborative Process?
The goal is to minimize, if not eliminate, the negative economic, social and emotional consequences of protracted litigation to the divorcing spouses and their families. This is particularly helpful to families with children who will remain families by virtue of those children forever without regard to the dissolution of the marriage. The process is also helpful for those who value privacy, as well as those who want to continue family-run businesses.
For couples without children who wish to preserve the extended familial or business relationships as well as friendships formed over the course of the marriage or for those who simply wish to honor the relationship they once had with a spouse, the collaborative process offers a more humane alternative to traditional divorce litigation.
To learn more about this creative, non-destructive divorce process, place your mouse on the Collaborative Process tab at the top of this page and explore the links you find there.
