Cooperative Divorce in New Jersey
In almost every way, the Cooperative Practice approach to resolving New Jersey divorce cases is the same as Collaborative Practice.
However, there is one very significant difference.
Neither Party Is Required to Retain A New Lawyer In The Event of Litigation
In the Collaborative Practice model, the lawyers and the clients agree at the beginning of the process that, if a settlement cannot be reached and the parties have to go to court to resolve their disputes, those lawyers must bow out and each of the clients must retain new lawyers.
The advocates of the Collaborative Practice model view this as a beneficial thing. They say that, because of this fact, cases are more likely to settle. And that is often true.
In the Cooperative Practice approach, there is no such agreement. If the case does not settle, the same lawyers can continue to represent each party in court.
Three Reasons To Choose The Cooperative Practice Approach
Cooperative Practice advocates give three (3) major reasons why they prefer this approach:
- The additional "threat of litigation" is outweighed by the benefit of each party not having to "switch horses" in the middle of the process-which often results in additional cost because the new lawyers must familiarize themselves with the facts and sometimes the law.
- Sometimes there are unsettled legal issues that must be decided by a court but do not become apparent until the process is well underway. In cases where the Collaborative Practice approach is being used, there may be too much pressure to settle and therefore ignore those issues.
- Often, despite everyone else's best efforts, one the spouses is clearly unreasonable or does everything possible to unreasonably delay the process because he/she just doesn't want to get divorced.
New Jersey Divorce and Family Law Matters Are All We Do.
Because of our singular focus and our experience, we can help you feel more comfortable about where you stand and all of your options.
At Salvaggio Law Group, we handle a limited number of Cooperative Divorce cases at any given time. We don't take on more than we can manage. Therefore, when a client needs our attention, we have the time to provide what is needed.
The first step is to call the firm. The telephone number is 973-855-3595.
If you prefer, just click on the Contact Form, fill it out and submit it.
If your matter is one that we would consider handling, Mr. Salvaggio will take the time to talk to you personally.
We really are here to help.