A recent blog, The Advantages of Collaborative Divorce, discussed the many positive aspects of a collaborative approach to divorce. This multi-disciplinary team approach to dissolving a marriage puts an end to the adversarial court proceedings that can wreak emotional and financial havoc on parties already suffering through a very difficult transition in their lives.
Unfortunately, some divorcing couples are dismayed to learn that the collaborative divorce process may not fit within their budget constraints. Hiring multiple collaborative members, for example a financial expert, a mental health expert, and each party’s collaboratively trained attorney, can be expensive.
The Law Office of Jeanne Coleman is very pleased to offer a new program to assist such couples —- a reduced rate collaborative divorce program. To qualify for the reduced rate collaborative program, the parties’ combined gross income must be less than $100,000 and their combined assets must be less than $125,000 in value. The parties must agree to each retain a collaboratively trained attorney and use the collaborative process, to use a neutral facilitator (usually a mental health professional) and neutral financial professional, and to follow other similar collaborative guidelines.
In return, Jeanne Coleman and other collaborative attorneys participating in the reduced rate program will charge $100 per hour. The reduced rate participating neutral professionals will charge $80 per hour. Each party will be asked to pay a reduced rate, non-refundable retainer of $3,600 that will be used both for attorney time and neutral professional time spent on your case.
Your collaborative attorney will receive $2,000 of the non-refundable retainer and your neutral(s) will receive/share the remaining $1,600 of the non-refundable retainer. Your professional team members (attorneys and neutral(s)) are each obligated at the reduced rates for a maximum of 25 hours. At their individual discretion, the reduced rates may be offered for more than 25 hours of work.
Up to two collaborative assistants who do not charge for their services may also be utilized to record minutes of meetings or for other administrative tasks such as copying documents during meetings. They are bound by the same confidentiality standards. The reduced rate program necessarily contemplates each party participating more extensively in the collaborative divorce process, but with their collaborative attorney and neutral team members available to advise them as needed.
Jeanne Coleman has practiced family law locally for over twenty-five years. She is a trained collaborative attorney who is enthusiastic about providing the many advantages of a collaborative divorce process to a more diverse range of clients. Jeanne is a member of the Next Generation Divorce, a group of collaborative professionals in the Tampa Bay area, and she encourages you to visit their website for more information on the collaborative divorce process, as well as her own law office website. Call Jeanne’s law office today for a consultation to determine if your divorce qualifies for this new, affordable reduced rate collaborative divorce program.
