The Collaborative Divorce Team

In addition to legal counsel, the Collaborative Divorce team also frequently includes divorce coaches, a financial specialist, and a child specialist.

A Divorce Coach helps each spouse manage the pain and strain of changing relationships while focusing on goals for the present and future.

A neutral Financial Specialist helps you and your spouse identify your options and alternatives by reviewing all assets and incomes, and assists in developing financial scenarios for the future well-being of all family members.

A neutral Child Specialist helps you and your spouse create parenting time plans and parenting arrangements customized to fit the unique needs of your family.

What training and qualifications do Collaborative Divorce Professionals have?

The word “collaborative” has many meanings and uses, so many that the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois (“CLII”) and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (“IACP”), which are the professional organizations for Collaborative Professionals in Illinois, could not claim the word or name exclusively.

There are lawyers, financial planners, mental health practitioners, coaches, child specialists, and others involved at various stages of the divorce process who call themselves “collaborative”. But they may not have gone through the rigorous requirements to become Fellows of CLII. This designation has to be renewed annually and ensures a certain level of training and commitment to the philosophy and the process - all to the benefit of you and your spouse.

Collaborative Practice is truly a new way of managing divorce (and other types of legal problems.)  It involves what writers and trainers call a “paradigm shift” for the professionals (away from warring and attack and toward cooperation and problem solving.)  Those who lack the Fellows label will not have the specific training and commitment to use this process effectively. Fellows of the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois, who are those listed in this website, have met, minimally, the following requirements:

• Two-day basic training in Collaborative Practice
• Additional skills training (which often consists of 40-hour basic mediation training) [check the application form for additional information]