FAQs

Collaborative Divorce is not right for everyone. In a situation involving domestic abuse, for example, Collaborative Divorce would not necessarily be recommended. Every situation is unique and our team of caring professionals can help you decide which route is best for your specific circumstances. If you’re unsure of whether Collaborative Divorce is a good fit for your situation, contact us today for a no-obligation free 30-minute consultation.

When you choose Collaborative Divorce, you have more support at the table. Your team of attorneys, financial consultant, and divorce coach are with you from the beginning, and involved in the entire process. Financial information is automatically exchanged and conducted in a more secure process than with mediation because the attorneys and financial consultant are overseeing documents. Mediation doesn’t give you the same type of immediate support. A mediator can only help you reach an agreement; they can’t oversee documents, give legal or financial advice or move assets after the agreement is complete. Learn more about the difference between Collaborative Divorce and Mediation.

My ex- and I haven’t talked together about our children since the court’s custody decision last year. We just text. It’s too hard. Things aren’t working with this schedule. I need to go back to court.

Returning to court will result in a new custody order, however, the modifications you obtain may not be the best solution to your concerns and it may not change the emotional and commutation struggles that you are having with your co-parent. Already strained relationships between parents can be further eroded in the lengthy and confrontational litigation process. Children for sure suffer. The Collaborative Process will create opportunities, in a confidential setting, for you and the other parent to develop clear understandings of what you need from each other to parent your children. Our lawyers and child specialists have been trained in the collaborative process and trained in mediation designed specifically for these topics. We will help you explore what gets in the way of effective coparenting and identify what you want most for your children. In an environment that acknowledges and supports the critical role each parent has in the lives of your children, we will accomplish meeting your goals. Learn more about PA family law and the collaborative approach toward child custody modifications.

Our Collaborative Team Members, including Lawyers, Financial Specialists and Divorce Coaches, are trained to assist you in communicating with your family members in private, with the opportunity:

• to manage emotional reactivity;
• to promote healthy, respectful communication;
• to promote and strengthen family functioning and relationships; and
• to reach a consensus that will provide you with peace of mind.

To schedule a confidential consultation and learn more, contact a professional in Collaborative Law Professionals of Southeastern Pennsylvania .

The Collaborative Process and Team offer another possibility and opportunity. Collaborative Lawyers will educate and advise you on the points of law while remaining committed to resolve the case out-of-court. A Child Specialist is trained in child development, expected behaviors and common struggles children experience when divorce results in a changed family system. The Child Specialist will give the children a voice, help to strengthen the children’s relationship with their mom and develop hope. The Divorce Coach will help you and the mom manage emotions, identify your own emotional struggles that may be contributing to this situation and help you focus on the future for each of you and your children. Our Collaborative Team of Professionals are here to help. Contact Collaborative Law Professionals of Southeastern Pennsylvania to learn more!

In the Collaborative Process, each spouse and their Collaborative Lawyers are able to call in a Financial Specialist whose role in the Collaborative Team is to assist the spouses and their Collaborative Lawyers to:

• assess the income and expenses of each spouse;
• evaluate the nature and extent of the marital property;
• consider the financial realities of the separation and divorce;
• help structure the distribution of marital property, alimony and child support;
• support the development of practical options and a structure for the distribution of property and payment of debts, alimony and child support, if applicable;
• educate each spouse on the financial implications of each option; and
• empower each spouse to make sound financial decisions for the short and long-term.

To schedule a confidential consultation and learn more, contact a professional with Collaborative Law Professionals of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Generally, the most you can expect to receive is one-half of your former spouse’s benefit. However, age, length of marriage, and current marital status all play a part in determining whether you would qualify.

Connect with our CLP Member Financial Specialists in Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties, Philadelphia, and the surrounding areas.

1. Assets can be taxed very differently. Some retirement assets are taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn, while others can be withdrawn completely tax-free. Non-retirement assets can also be taxed differently. While some may not be taxed at all, others may have built-in capital gains that will be taxed when sold.
2. Some assets are more easily converted to cash than others. Retirement plans, for example, typically cannot be withdrawn prior to age 59 ½ without penalty and taxes. Houses are another example of an asset that cannot be easily converted to cash. Sure you can always tap into the equity of a home through a loan, but don’t count on that. Banks aren’t too keen on lending money if you are in financial distress.

To schedule a confidential consultation and learn more, contact a professional with Collaborative Law Professionals of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

We don’t listen or talk to each other.

That’s a great question! In thinking about this, first ask yourself, “Do you wish this could be different?” If your answer is yes, a Divorce Coach can help.

Developing new ways to let your spouse know how you feel, what fears and concerns you have and what you need may require some new skills.

Understanding what gets in the way of having meaningful conversations and then changing that pattern is the beginning to effective communication and problem solving. The Divorce Coach can help both of you learn the communication skills you need in order to have a better understanding of one another’s experience and then more effectively work together.

The Divorce Coach, along with the Collaborative Team, will help structure improved communication with one another. You each will have a better understanding of the real issues and concerns. Productive, respectful and healthy communication is inevitable. We can help!

Connect with our CLP Member Divorce Coaches in Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties, Philadelphia, and the surrounding areas.

My partner does not feel like we need a therapist.

It sounds like your partner has concerns that a Divorce Coach will be doing therapy. While a Divorce Coach, in the Collaborative Process, is a licensed mental health professional, he or she is not going to be doing therapy.

Instead, a Divorce Coach will help you and your partner manage emotions that may impact the ability to focus on solutions rather than blame and revenge. Emotions may range from fear, anger, and worry to resentment, disappointment and grief. The Coach will help manage these emotions, freeing you to problem solve, to develop meaningful solutions and to move on with your life.

Connect with our CLP Member Divorce Coaches in Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties, Philadelphia, and the surrounding areas.

Our son already has a therapist. Why do we need a child specialist? He already has one.

The role of a therapist and Child Specialist differ in many ways. A therapist may work with a child to develop a different perspective and understanding of a situation, to develop insight, to effect desired behavioral changes or to provide education.  The Child Specialist is not the child’s therapist.  Instead, the Child Specialist serves as the child’s advocate by:

• hearing the child’s perspective;
• helping the child to express his worries, fears, needs and desires to his parents;
• removing potential loyalty alliances the child may be experiencing when family restructuring occurs.

The Child Specialist also provides information to the parents and the Collaborative Team so that parents can make child-centered decisions while the family takes on a new form.

Connect with our CLP Member Child Specialists in Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties, Philadelphia, and the surrounding areas.