I have read an internet article regarding the divorce between Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his wife Veronica Lario. In that article, it is stated that Ms. Lario wants to make the divorce a “very messy affair.”  I know many couples who are going through the process of getting an Alberta divorce may have same mentality. However, I hope, there are also a number of couples who want to separate their ways in a dignified manner.

Collaborative divorce helps the parting spouses to resolve all the differences very amicably. To get collaborative divorce, both the spouses have to work together along with their family lawyers, divorce coaches, psychologists, and financial advisers. The spouses and their lawyers should sign a document agreeing that they will try together to solve the problems associated with their divorce without going to court.

The idea of collaborative divorce has been initiated by a Minnesota lawyer, Stuart Webb. After fifteen years of practice as a divorce lawyer, he has decided to help his clients to resolve their divorce issues outside the court. Soon, he found many followers in and outside United States. In Alberta also, if you want, you can choose to have divorce through “Collaborative Family Law Process.”

Collaborative divorce can be achieved only if the both the spouses can work together without any grudge against each other. Both husband and wife should be able to treat each other patiently and respectfully. They have to communicate openly and calmly. They must be willing to explore all the possible alternatives to find out an amicable solution to their problems.

A collaborative divorce team consists of a group of professionals who can help the spouses to go through their divorce process. Both spouses should have their own separate lawyers to help them. Collaborative divorce team also has a divorce coach, a child specialist and an impartial financial expert. Divorce coaches are qualified mental health specialists who can help the spouses to take appropriate decisions and find out suitable solutions.

Child specialist will focus on the interests of children and will assist the parents to reach a cordial agreement about child custody. The financial planner supports both the spouses to deal with financial issues of the divorce. These experts can help the couples to reach a mutually agreeable solution to all the problems associated with their divorce. Many spouses who are going to have an Alberta divorce can try collaborative divorce process to have a divorce with dignity.