Roles of Collaborative Professionals
Attorney
Each attorney represents the best interests of their client while working within the Collaborative Process. Each attorney:
- Educates and counsels their client about legal issues and settlement options
- Helps their client identify and assess the client’s needs as well as those of the other party
- Helps the client explore realistic alternatives to meet the client’s needs
- Assists the parties in avoiding and managing conflict
- Helps create the Collaborative team
- Works collaboratively with the other lawyer and the team
- Serves as a case manager, unless the team includes a mediator
- Assists the parties in implementing agreements
- Has a duty to terminate the process if a client fails to adhere to the Collaborative Practice Participation Agreement
The Collaborative Divorce Coach
Each Collaborative divorce coach is a licensed mental health professional. Each coach will help one member of the couple:
- Navigate the emotional aspects of divorce
- Identify and prioritize the client's concerns
- Improve communication skills to minimize misunderstandings
- Improve conflict resolution skills
- Develop effective co-parenting skills
- Participate as an effective member of the team
The Child Specialist
The Collaborative divorce child specialist is a licensed mental health professional. The child specialist is a neutral member of the team who helps the parents:
- Focus on the needs of each child
- Hear the concerns of each child, bringing the child’s voice into the process
- Understand age-appropriate developmental issues, and how these will change over time
- Explore options for appropriate parenting plans
- Be effective co-parents
The child specialist may also provide children with support and information about the divorce process.
The Collaborative Financial Coach
The Collaborative financial coach is a licensed financial professional who helps one member of the couple and the attorney:
- Understand the extent and value of the marital estate
- Request financial documents
- Understand the financial documents provided by the other spouse
- Comply with requests to produce financial documents
- Identify and prioritize financial needs
- Create a realistic budget
- Work on short and long range financial planning
- Create and evaluate options for settlement
- Understand tax consequences of settlement options
- Participate as financially informed team members
The Collaborative Financial Specialist
The Collaborative divorce financial specialist, a licensed financial professional, is a neutral member of the team who may:
- Assess the level of financial understanding of each spouse, and educate each accordingly
- Identify financial issues specific to the case
- Help each member of the couple manage financial expectations
- Work as a neutral financial analyst, creating income and expense projections for the near and longer term
- Interpret appraisals
- Assist with the discovery process by gathering documentation of income, expenses, assets, and debts
- As a neutral, provide some or all of the services listed above for the Financial Coach
