Collaborative Divorce

How Buffalo Collaborative Attorneys Can Help

Developed during the late 1980s, collaborative law was developed as an alternative to traditional dispute resolution that addresses the emotional, financial, and child-related issues to arrive at a comprehensive solution to divorce. The Law Offices of Randy H. Gugino helps Buffalo clients determine when collaborative divorce may be the right solution for clients.

The rules of collaborative divorce

The first requirement is that both spouses in Buffalo must retain specially trained and certified collaborative attorneys. Our Buffalo divorce attorneys help clients build a team who can help them address specific issues. This team can be comprised of a variety of neutral professionals—including family counselors, psychologists, financial experts, and even business consultants if a family business is involved. Both spouses and their collaborative lawyers attend a series of meetings to work toward an agreement of all issues pertaining to the divorce.

A critical rule is that couples must successfully negotiate all terms of the divorce. If they cannot reach full agreement on all issues, they must start over using a more traditional method of divorce. And the rules state that their collaborative lawyers must resign, leaving both spouses to retain different attorneys.

Couples in Buffalo must be fully committed to reaching agreement

The very nature of divorce typically involves disagreement between spouses. If they cannot fully put their personal issues aside to the degree needed to come to full agreement, they may experience better results with a more traditional method, such as divorce mediation.

While mediation is still a negotiated form of divorce that allows couples to retain control over the decisions of their divorce settlement, it does not involve the strict rules required under collaborative divorce—and it may be a less expensive option in the end. At your free initial consultation with the divorce law firm in Buffalo of Randy H. Gugino, we assess your specific situation to recommend the options that are best for you.

Contact us for a free consultation

It costs nothing to schedule an initial meeting to learn your legal options. Call the Law Offices of Randy H. Gugino today at 716.803.8715 or contact us online.