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Page last amended February 4th.
Two sponsored links
Winston Solicitors offer
collaborative law advice, helping to provide a
less adversarial and more cost effective approach to divorce. Learn how a
collaborative divorce
can lead to a more dignified and respectful outcome.
For general advice on divorce please visit the Winston
family law solicitors website.
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There is a short description of collaborative Law, intended for people not familiar with the term,
here.
Alternative Family Law - Southwark, London,
a great deal of free information about family law including alternatives to litigation (including mediation
and collaborative law), divorce, financial issues (including complext financial cases), international family law, family law issues affecting
gay men and lesbians (including civil partnership and parenting) and issues about children and cohabitation.
The site provides information in German as well as English.
Amicable Divorce is a new site which has been created
by a group of solicitors in Worcester who practice either mediation or collaborative family law.
This is the first time that a group of Family Law ADR specialists have established a site that covers
the spectrum of available ADR in a geographically defined area. There is general information on mediation and
collaborative law as well as information on the individual firms and solicitors available in the area
for this type of work. The site also includes details of divorce coaches and (currently one) financial neutral.
bbl family law of Norwich, offer information on a wide range of
approaches to resolving relationship breakdown.
The partners of the firm are experienced litigators, mediators and skilled negotiators, and are actively involved
in developing new methods of resolving family breakdown.
Resolution (previously known as the Solicitors Family Law Association)
has 5500 members all of whom are family lawyers
committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes. Their members follow a Code of Practice that
promotes a non-confrontational approach to family problems and looks for solutions that consider the needs
of the whole family - and in particular the best interests of children.
You can find a collaborative lawyer from their site
here
and you can find a mediator
here.
Collaborative Law is a site (and service) offered by
Winston Solicitors. They are firmly committed to helping their client reach agreement with the
ex-partner in an amicable way so they can continue to communicate with each other afterwards.
Team leader Viv Hulland was one of the first practising collaborative lawyers in the north of England,
having trained in May 2005.
Devon Family Solutions, based in Exeter and established in 1991,
is one of the largest agencies of its kind in the country and pioneered the Mediation movement.
It can assist couples from all over the region who are experiencing separation or divorce.
All mediators are selected and trained to recognized National and European standards and directly
accountable to a national body; FMA, SFLA or PDT. All are members of the UK College of Family Mediators (UKCFM).
Divorce Aid is a site run by
an independent group of professionals who volunteer their time to help people with divorce problems.
Advice is provided, by email, without any payment or promise
of further work. There is also a great deal of free information, attractively and helpfully presented,
on the site itself (and some attractive graphic designs to go with the sections).
They even operated a full service over Christmas!
They promote mediation and counselling and also promote collaborative law, as a new, more dignified, approach
to divorce.
Family Mediators Association
offers trained mediators to help all couples facing separation or divorce
to reach decisions about dealing with children, property and finance.
Family mediation is a voluntary process by which couples in dispute, particularly those going
through separation or divorce, are helped to deal with arrangements for their future.
Hartnell Chanot & Partners are Family Law Solicitors established in 1991 by
Norman Hartnell who has been practicing Mediation since 1989. Norman also established the Devon Family Solutions
(see above) one of the first mediation consortiums in the country with a Legal Services Commission franchise
and over 20 mediators. The Hartnell Chanot & Partners site provides
extensive information on divorce, mediation, finance, childrens issues and all related topics. There are
particular sections for just-dads, just-mums, just-kids and just-grandparents. This is a very useful site
for people involved with a divorce.
North Yorkshire Family Mediation is
a consortium of trained mediator/lawyers based in the North-east of England whose aim is to provide first
class assistance to those going through the trauma of resolving the problems associated with the breakdown
of a relationship.
Raworths Family Mediation
Services is part of Raworths, Solicitors, of Harrogate. There is information on the site about Family Mediation
and how disputing couples (and their lawyers) can work together in
Collaborative Law.
Staffordshire Collaborative Lawyers
are a group of like-minded, specialist, family lawyers with many years experience advising
clients on separation, divorce, children and financial matters and their implications.
Although they come from different law firms, they have all received special training in the
collaborative approach and now come together not only to help their clients but to further
general awareness of collaborative law.
They are all members of the Collaborative Family Law Group of Resolution, the specialist
association of family lawyers, and their collaborative work builds on the long-established Resolution
approach that family disputes should be dealt with in a constructive way designed to preserve people’s
dignity and to encourage agreements.
QueerPod is a joint project between a number of gay and lesbian lawyers
working in different firms and who have specialist expertise in the
law as it affects lesbian and gay relationships. They are all trained in collaborative law, the
legal process designed to facilitate couples and other family members reaching agreement and resolving issues
arising from their relationship or separation without having recourse to the Courts. Individual members
come from the following firms: Dawsons, Alternative Family Law, Blackfords, Covent Garden Family Law, Russell-Cooke,
Speechly Bircham, Cambridge Family Law Practice, Josiah Lake Gardiner, Alexander and Partners,
Bross Bennett, Burtonwoods and Family Law in Partnership.
This is the first cross-firm initiative of this kind that I have come across.
A quick description of Collaborative Law from Hartnell Chanot & Partners
Collaborative law is fairly new to the UK and is fundamentally
changing the way people think about family law.
In short it is a new way to resolve divorce and family disputes -
collaborative lawyers and their clients agree in writing to reach
settlement without court involvement. They agree to work together to
resolve children and financial issues arising out of the separation,
and may enlist other experts, such as child specialists, as part of
the team. It brings lawyers into the process, and helps minimise costs
and hopefully conflict for all concerned.
At its simplest, collaborative law is about making key decisions
about the future all together in the same room, face to face. Clients
agree not go to court and the Collaborative lawyers sign an agreement
with them that disqualifies them from representing them in court if
the process breaks down. This means that collaborative lawyers are
absolutely committed to helping clients find the best solutions by
agreement, rather than conflict.
Lawyers Home Page....
Individuals Home Page
email delia@venables.co.uk
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Collaborative Law - Family Law without going to court
