Collaborative divorce is a legal process that enables couples who have decided to separate or end their marriage to work with their lawyers and other family professionals, such as counselors and accountants, in order to avoid the uncertain outcome of court and achieve a settlement that best meets the specific needs of both parties and their children without the underlying threat of litigation.   A collaborative divorce is usually the most cost effective, quickest, and peaceful way to resolve a contested divorce.  A contested divorce is a divorce in which the parties have not reached an agreement regarding all the issues of their divorce, including, but not limited to, spousal support, alimony, child support, child visitation, child custody, timesharing, distribution of marital debts, and distribution of marital assets.  Our Collaborative Divorce Package is for the person who wants to divorce with dignity and is willing to utilize alternative dispute resolution methods to negotiate a divorce settlement with their spouse prior to initiating divorce litigation. When you purchase one of our Collaborative Divorce Packages,  our divorce attorney will attempt to negotiate a fair and reasonable divorce settlement with your spouse or their attorney prior to filing a Complaint for Divorce with the court.   When you purchase one of our flat fee Collaborative Divorce Packages, you will be charged one flat fee for us to handle your divorce case from the beginning until the conclusion of mediation, as the majority of divorce cases are resolved during mediation.  If a divorce settlement is reached, your divorce will be filed with the court as an uncontested divorce.  If a divorce settlement is not reached, then you may pursue other alternative dispute resolution methods or additional mediation sessions for an additional fee.

We prefer this method because divorcing spouses are typically required to participate in mediation before having a contested divorce trial. Attempting to reach an agreement before filing a Complaint for Divorce enable spouses to work together to reach a fair and reasonable divorce agreement without the stress and expenses of a unnecessary adversarial divorce litigation. Another benefit of this process, is that it allows divorcing spouses to maintain some privacy, as all pleading that are typically filed during divorce litigation are of public record. By reaching an agreement prior to initiating the legal proceeding, divorcing spouses are able to bypass filing adversarial pleading with the court that airs all of their dirty laundry.   In addition, this method provides some predictability to the divorce process, which allows us to assist our clients with resolving your contested divorce for a fixed fee agreed to in advance!  Please note that litigated divorces average about from $15,000 to $30,000 in legal fees.  Thus, prior to deciding to litigate your divorce you should ensure that you are emotionally and financially prepared to do so.  We require a minimum retainer of $3,500 for a litigated contested divorce.

  If there are not any issues in which you and your spouse do not agree, an Uncontested Divorce Package may be better for you.  If you and your spouse have agreed upon all the issues and you feel comfortable representing yourself, and just need a little help getting started, a Do-It-Yourself Divorce Package may be right for you.  

To qualify for one of our Collaborative Divorce packages, you and your spouse must meet all of the following requirements:

1. Voluntarily disclose your assets, debts, income, and financial interests to one another;

2. Be willing to utilize alternative dispute resolution methods to reach a fair and reasonable divorce settlement;

3. Voluntarily sign all uncontested divorce documents detailing the negotiated agreement;

4. Waive service of process; and

5. Attend the mandatory Parent Educational Seminar if the parties have minor children together.

When you purchase one of our Collaborative Divorce Packages, here's what you get:

• We begin with a confidential divorce planning session with our Memphis divorce attorney;

• We inform you how to proceed;

• We contact your spouse to request that your spouse and his/her attorney  (if represented) participate in an informal divorce settlement conference (also known as a 4-way meeting) to attempt to negotiate a divorce settlement;

• We schedule your divorce settlement conference;

• We represent you during your divorce settlement conference;

• We contact your spouse to request that your spouse and his/her attorney (if represented) participate in a divorce mediation to attempt to reach an agreement with the help  of a neutral third party (known as a mediator) if you and your spouse did not reach an agreement during the divorce settlement conference;

• We schedule your divorce mediation;

• We represent you during your divorce mediation;

• We prepare your divorce documents based off your agreement with your spouse if you reach an agreement;

• We provide you and your spouse with a copy of your divorce documents in pdf format for review; 

• We schedule a time for you and your spouse to come to our office to execute your divorce documents;

• We provide you with a copy of your executed divorce documents in pdf format; 

• We file your divorce documents with the court (filing fee not included);

• We schedule your final uncontested divorce hearing;

• We prepare for your final uncontested divorce hearing;

• We represent you in court during your final uncontested divorce hearing;

• We provide you and your spouse a copy of your final decree of divorce in pdf format; and

• We provide you access to our e-book entitled "About Divorce: A Guide for Clients".

Collaborative Divorce Packages prices: The prices for our Collaborative Divorce packages vary depending on:

• Whether or not you and your spouse have minor or dependent children together;

• Whether you and your spouse have joint assets and/or joint debts; and

• The complexity of your case.