Collaborative Divorce Professionals of Greater Vancouver Launches To Bring Respectful, Modern Approach to Separation and Divorce
Vancouver, British Columbia (PRWEB) August 05, 2014 -- Embracing a non-adversarial approach to separation and divorce, the Collaborative Divorce Professionals of Greater Vancouver wants to change the often destructive way in which people have traditionally divorced. Their goal is to increase awareness and provide access to a process that is gaining pre-eminence in Burnaby, Ladner, Richmond, Tsawwassen and Vancouver. Composed of five collaboratively trained family lawyers, two divorce coaches and a neutral financial specialist, the practice group brings together a highly experienced group of independent professionals who have a proven track record of working together with couples and families to reach cost efficient and respectful solutions – without court intervention.
“The ideal couple for a Collaborative divorce is someone who wants to divorce with dignity and avoid the damaging effects of traditional adversarial divorce” says Danny Zack, a 40 year veteran of family law who has been at the forefront of helping couples resolve their differences through Collaborative practice. “Our clients are committed to negotiating respectfully, engaging in mutual problem-solving and maintaining amicable family relationships for the sake of their children and grandchildren,” he adds.
Collaborative practice, also known as Collaborative law or Collaborative divorce, is a highly innovative legal process for separating and divorcing couples and families that focuses on mutual respect and cooperation rather than the traditional opposition and litigation. It is an interest-based process wherein the professionals seek win-win solutions as opposed to the traditional process where there is often a winner and a loser. The centerpiece of the process is a Participation Agreement signed by both lawyers and clients. The agreement references the goals of the couple, identifies the process, defines the professionals’ roles and sets forth the codes of conduct by which the participants will be guided during the process.
While Collaborative practice is rapidly becoming the process of choice when separating, whether there are children or not, it is important to work with a team of practitioners that has been formally trained in the Collaborative process” says Angiola De Stefanis, a family law lawyer with over 22 years of experience who served for four years as the co-chair of the Collaborative Divorce Vancouver Society, the largest multi-disciplinary practice group of Collaborative professionals in British Columbia. Collaborative professionals have special training in Collaborative divorce skills and strategies and are committed to providing interdisciplinary assistance, with divorce coaches for emotional, relationship, and parenting issues, and with a financial neutral for valuation, budgeting and tax issues. Not only are the Collaborative Divorce Professionals of Greater Vancouver formally trained as Collaborative practitioners but they also have a proven track record of working well together as a team.
In addition to Zack and De Stefanis, the Collaborative family lawyers in the practice are Deirdre Severide who with more than 30 years of family law experience served on the Board of Directors of the Collaborative Divorce Vancouver Society, and is a founding member and director of the BC Collaborative Roster Society, as well as its incoming Chair. Garth Edwards brings more than 30 years experience as a family lawyer and Robert Mostar has a 34-year career as a lawyer. Susan Vanderwerff and Shelley Behr are registered clinical counsellors and divorce coaches, trained in the Collaborative process and each with many years of experience working with families and couples going through separation and divorce. Patricia Lalonde is a financial neutral, also trained in the Collaborative process and has had many years of experience guiding couples through the financial aspects of separation and divorce in a neutral manner.
The Collaborative Divorce Professionals of Greater Vancouver recognize that divorce is not simply a legal process – there often is a significant emotional component that needs to be dealt with to help the couple or family move forward in a healthy manner. There have been too many people scarred by divorce. The Collaborative practitioners are committed to change the way that people have traditionally divorced.
The Collaborative Divorce Professionals of Greater Vancouver has launched an informational website at http://nocourtdivorcebc.com/ and will provide information about the process and benefits of Collaborative practice through its No Court Divorce and social media presence.
About the Collaborative Divorce Professionals of Greater Vancouver
Collaborative Divorce Professionals of Greater Vancouver is a group of independent Collaborative lawyers and divorce coaches and a neutral financial specialist, all highly experienced in Collaborative Divorce, in the Greater Vancouver area. We serve couples who want to divorce with dignity and avoid the damaging effects of traditional adversarial divorce. Our goal is to help divorcing couples reach customized solutions by encouraging creative problem solving in a supportive and respectful environment. Further information can be found on our website at http://nocourtdivorcebc.com/.
Elizabeth Ferris, +1 414-332-8452, [email protected]
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