When spouses seek a cooperative process to work through all of the issues that must be addressed in the final marital agreement, minimize costs, maximize communication, and facilitate both ongoing relationships and privacy during their legal action, then collaborative divorce or cooperative divorce proceedings may be the right choice. In those types of actions, each party has his or her own attorney. All parties agree to refrain from litigating in court. Whenever necessary, an outside professional assists, such as might be necessary to determine the value of a business or professional license. The divorcing spouses and their attorneys negotiate through decisions. Each spouse’s attorney protects his or her client’s rights and assets. The outcome is a stipulated agreement, which is presented to the court for approval.

Previously, collaborative divorce was most often chosen by couples with children, professional licenses and managed financial portfolios. Today, they are commonplace. One of the most attractive features of a collaborative divorce is the ability to proceed without court intervention, which allows couples to control their lives and keeps their affairs private.

If agreement cannot be reached on every marital issue, the collaborative agreement requires both attorneys to completely withdraw, and each spouse to obtain services from different attorneys.

Attorneys providing collaborative divorce services are certified by the Collaborative Divorce Council; cooperative divorce services can be provided without that certification. Attorney Steven Eversole is currently certifying as a Collaborative Divorce Counselor. He provides both cooperative divorce and mediation services.