The Collaborative Group

Welcome to The Collaborative Group, assisting divorcing individuals with a cooperative process that gives families resources and options unavailable in traditional divorce models.

The Collaborative Group is a group of independently practicing family law attorneys, mediators, business valuators, mental health professionals and financial advisors specializing in divorce issues.  Each practitioner, while in business independently in their field, has joined The Collaborative Group to provide cohesive, multi-disciplinary services to divorcing clients.  Realizing that the issues and concerns of most divorcing individuals do not fall into one area: legal, financial, emotional - but rather a combination of all of these, The Collaborative Group works to find a better solution to divorcing clients' family and settlement needs.

How is Collaborative Divorce Different than Traditional Litigation?

The biggest difference between the collaborative divorce process and traditional litigation is that ALL of the parties of collaborative process agree that they are working to seek RESOLUTION WITHOUT LITIGATION. So, what makes this happen?  In the collaborative process, the divorcing couple, as well as all of the divorce professionals, including attorneys, sign a legal stipulation agreeing that they will not litigate to resolve their differences. The couple works with a collaborative divorce team which helps guide them through their divorce.   Should the parties fail to reach an agreement, the professional team must resign and cannot represent either party in traditional litigation. So, all parties involved have an incentive to get the job completed.

How is Collaborative Divorce Different than Mediation?

Collaborative Divorce often uses mediation as a part of the process for reaching resolution, however the goal of the collaborative process is far greater. The collaborative process seeks to provide holistic care to the family unit - meaning determining an outcome that's as supportive as possible for both spouses and children. Spouses understand their legal rights because of each having legal representation, but can be assured the attorney wants to reach resolution as much as the parties do. Support professionals in the fields of mental health, financial and business expertise assist in making sure the settlement outcomes consider the short and long-term needs of all parties involved.  Of course, use of any of the professionals is entirely up to the clients, but the important part is that the pieces of the puzzle are present, and can be utilized as the client sees fit, with assurance that every professional utilized will be working for the same outcome - resolution.

Phone Numbers: Because our professionals are independent practitioners, please contact the professional who you feel may best answer your present questions. Should you choose to utilize the group's services, the member you contact will coordinate services of the other professional(s) with you, depending on your needs.
Please mention Collaborative Divorce when calling.
Attorneys: (904) 739-3333 (Joy Lordahl) or (904) 242-0191 (Steve Leitman)
Mediator: (904) 564-1000 (Robert Hetsler)
Divorce Financial Planning: (904) 861-0093 (Michelle Ash)
Family Counseling/Mental Health: (904) 502-1952 (Mike Stapleton)

E-mail:  info@thecollaborativegroup.com