Collaborative law offers new approach to family legal problems

Jan. 27, 2012 - PRLog -- Weightmans, one of the UK's leading legal firms, believes that the use of collaborative law could be most efficient way of resolving family law issues.

According to the firm – which has offices in Birmingham, Dartford, Knutsford, Leicester, Liverpool, London and Manchester – this new approach to family law focuses on resolving the issues between clients in a dignified and respectful way.  It says that in many cases, collaborative law is more time efficient than commencing court proceedings.

"Collaborative law puts the clients in control of the negotiations process," a spokesperson for the family law solicitors said. "The two parties meet with a collaborative law solicitor and make a formal commitment not to resort to the court process. They then reach decisions between themselves with support and expert advice on hand."

Weightmans believes that the biggest advantage of this approach is that the lines of communication between the former partners are always open and, therefore, less time is wasted getting messages to and from each party. It also minimises confrontation, which benefits everyone involved; especially children.

Statistics show that is a common time of year for couples to bring an end to their relationship, yet there remains a lot of uncertainty regarding how the situation should be approached. For marriages, in particular, a number of people believe they only have two options; to sort out the issues by themselves or to go through the courts.

The Weightmans spokesperson said: "Collaborative law certainly isn't suitable for everyone. It requires both parties to be willing to negotiate and compromise. However, for those who believe this is a suitable approach and would like the matter dealt with as swiftly and smoothly as possible, collaborative law can be very effective."

Weightmans has trained team members who can offer guidance to people going through a separation, divorce or civil partnership dissolution. They also have a network of contacts with like-minded family lawyers throughout the country, meaning they can help put their client's spouse or partner in touch with a suitable adviser.

Furthermore, the family law solicitors offer a free 30 minute consultation for people to discuss collaborative law and other issues in more detail.

For more information about collaborative law, visit http://www.weightmans.com/services_for_individuals/family... or call 0151 243 9501.