Divorce can be a very public event.
But the Collaborative divorce process is private and confidential.
This is appealing to couples who want to keep their personal and business affairs out of the public eye. The Collaborative process begins with the professional team and the divorcing couple agreeing not to go to court but, instead, to negotiate a respectful resolution in a series of private and confidential meetings that are never a part of the public record. Proceedings are held behind closed doors instead of in a courtroom open to the public–where anyone, including the media, can come in and watch.
Protecting privacy and confidentiality is an important benefit of the Collaborative divorce. Minimal paperwork is filed with the court, and the papers that are filed contain limited facts specific to the divorcing couple. Usually, you won’t ever need to appear in court personally in a Collaborative divorce case. All of the work is done outside of court and then your judgment packet is submitted for the judge’s approval and signature.
Privacy and confidentiality are the hallmark of the Collaborative divorce process and ensure that details of the family assets and liabilities and parenting decisions remain out of the public view. For some this means that the family income isn’t made public; for others the issue may be the debt and liabilities that are hanging over the couple’s finances; and for some parents it may be sensitive issues related to their children.