6. Collaborative Meetings
Collaborative family lawyers and their clients participate in collaborative negotiation/settlement meetings. Full and frank discussions take place. These “four-way meetings” (two collaborative lawyers and two clients) take place out-of-court, usually in the offices of one of the collaborative family lawyers.
Whilst some meetings may take place between the individual collaborative family lawyer and their client (mainly preparation for the four-way meetings), most of the discussions take place as four-way meetings with all parties present, where important collaborative decision-making processes take place. The collaborative meetings are where clients agree on issues in dispute.
Whilst there may be the exchange of some communications (e.g., letters and telephone calls) between the two collaborative family lawyers outside the collaborative meetings, these communications can be significantly fewer than compared to family disputes involving litigation.
The separating parents/spouses and both collaborative family lawyers work as a team, rather than as “the opposition”. The team works to achieve a fair and equitable outcome for both clients.
Where appropriate other collaborative practitioners (e.g., counsellors or psychologists) work together with collaborative family lawyers and separating parents/spouses.
“There are always three sides to every story – your side, the other side and the truth”