Illinois Cooperative Divorce Law - The Role of Lawyers
What Do the Lawyers Do Differently in Cooperative Divorce Law
Just as the divorcing parties make a commitment to help themselves, the lawyers also commit to help the parties to maintain a spirit of cooperation and sensibility.
In order to do this, cooperative divorce lawyers encourage their clients to enter into a Cooperative Divorce Law Participation Agreement in which they formally state their mutual commitment to work toward reaching a non-court resolution.
Both parties promise to take the high road and negotiate with respect and civility. They commit to act in ways that are geared to save them time, frustration, and money. See Addendum to Participation Agreement.
The lawyers also agree to promote positive conflict resolution solutions rather than allowing any further discord between the parties to develop or fester. The lawyers demonstrate appropriate role modeling to minimize the predictable angry and emotional outbursts that divorcing parties are invariably prone to display.
The lawyers attempt to narrow the issues, encourage prompt and individualized discovery, and to do what they can to help their client maintain an open mind toward compromise.
Cooperative divorce lawyers agree to treat their client's soon-to-be ex in a non-confrontational, non-threatening and non-accusatory fashion at all times.
The lawyers' job is to the clear the way for the parties to be able to negotiate with one another without being stymied by communication land mines or by the various other obstacles to settlement.
