#1:

All Collaborative Practice cases must have a Participation Agreement signed by the spouses and the professionals. If you don't have a signed Participation Agreement it is NOT a Collaborative Practice case!

#2:

The Participation Agreements for all collaborative professionals (lawyers, coaches and financial neutrals) have been recently amended and are posted on our website. Please ensure that you are using the updated agreements.

Note: the updated agreements clarify the beginning and the end of the collaborative process. Only lawyers and/or coaches can start the collaborative process!

Note: if a financial neutral is part of the collaborative team another financial professional from the financial neutral's firm can not advise or manage funds for the spouses.

#3:

If an expert (appraiser, chartered business valuator, psychologist, child specialist, etc.) has been retained in the collaborative process and the collaborative process ends before the experts report has been disclosed the report can not be later disclosed in litigation. Ensure that the expert's retainer agreement provides specifically for this!