Fields and Dennis LLP

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You are here: Home / COLLABORATIVE LAW

COLLABORATIVE LAW

Massachusetts Collaborative Law Attorneys | Alternative Dispute Resolution | Divorce & Family Law

One of the ways in which Fields and Dennis LLP handles the problems of its clients is through a process known as Collaborative Law. This is a new form of dispute resolution that is gaining a foothold in Massachusetts. Similar to the traditional dispute resolution option, the firm represents one party in a traditional attorney-client relationship and the other party is also represented by counsel. The parties and attorneys, however, each sign a binding not to go to court until a negotiated settlement is reached. The attorneys at Fields and Dennis LLP are members of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council.

Divorce is seldom easy. Divorce requires us to make life-altering decisions at a time when we are most emotionally vulnerable. Often, the last thing we need is a “blood and guts” court battle over who gets the silverware. Collaborative law is designed specifically for couples who are looking for a calm, educational and professional alternative to divorce litigation.

Collaborative divorce gives the parties an opportunity to settle their divorce without the oversight of the court. Unlike litigation, collaborative divorce allows the parties to negotiate in a structured, but non-adversarial environment with skilled legal counsel actively assisting them. Similar to litigation, the parties involved in a collaborative divorce each hire their own attorney. However, the attorneys involved in collaborative divorce are specifically trained in collaborative law and have settlement – not trial – as their primary objective. Settlement remains the main objective because the lawyers’ continued employment depends upon his or her ability to facilitate an acceptable settlement proposal. Failure to reach settlement results in the end of the collaborative divorce process, and an end to the attorney’s employment in your case.

Collaborative divorce differs significantly from traditional, litigated divorce in other ways. One example is the use of expert witnesses. In a litigated divorce, the spouses each hire their own experts: psychologists, forensic accountants, business valuation experts and/or appraisers. The hiring of these experts, while valuable to each party’s case, results in significant expenditures of marital assets toward the resolution of the case. In a collaborative divorce the spouses agree, with advice of counsel, on which experts to hire in order to decide the disputed issues. More importantly, the costs of hiring these experts are shared by the parties rather than duplicated. This economy of scale reduces the overall costs of the divorce and leaves more money in the family’s pocketbook.

Collaborative divorce is most appropriate for those clients who wish to have an active role in negotiating their own settlement while receiving the advice of skilled legal professionals.

Contact the Massachusetts collaborative law divorce attorneys at Field Dennis & Cooper LLP for a confidential consultation.

The Boston metro collaborative law attorneys and dispute resolution lawyers at the law firm of Fields and Dennis LLP serve the Greater Boston region including Allston, Arlington, Boston, Brighton, Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Concord, Dedham, Dover, Lexington, Natick, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Wellesley, Weston, Westwood, and all Massachusetts.

Contact Us

Phone: 781.489.6776
Fax: 781.489.6233
80 William Street — Suite 210
Wellesley, MA 02481 USA

Recent Posts

Attorney Jonathan E. Fields Quoted in Wall Street Journal

January 21, 2021

Attorney Jonathan E. Fields was quoted in today’s Wall Street Journal Millennials Embrace Prenups—but Through a Very Different Lens Than in the Past Millennials are using prenups to address new economic and social issues—including rising student debt, social-media use and embryo ownership By Cheryl Winokur Munk Jan. 21, 2021 1:00 pm ET Millennials are often […]

Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW receives the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award Badge for 2021

January 14, 2021

Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW was presented with Avvo Clients’ Choice Award Badge for 2021. This award is given to attorneys whose outstanding legal services have resulted in highly satisfied clients. There’s nothing that an attorney can do to ask for a Clients’ Choice Award. Instead, Avvo makes the award based only on quality […]

Attorney Jonathan Fields Quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

January 5, 2021

Snap Judgments: Lawyers predict issue that will dominate legal landscape in 2021 By: Kris Olson December 31, 2020 (From Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly)  Q. Prediction time: What issue on the horizon will dominate the legal landscape in 2021?   “Five hours of time for a five-minute hearing has never seemed so wasteful. With the experience of remote hearings, will […]

Please Support Fields and Dennis LLP’s Fundraiser for K9s For Warriors

December 21, 2020

K9s For Warriors saves both warriors and rescue dogs. The program serves our warriors with service-connected Post-traumatic Stress Disability (PTSD) traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or military sexual trauma, which can be deadly disorders. A trained rescue dog is paired with a warrior and the two meet for two weeks of training together at one of […]

A Divorce Practitioner’s Bitcoin Primer

November 30, 2020

As published in the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. By Richard West and Attorney Jonathan Fields

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    FIELDS AND DENNIS LLP
    80 William Street — Suite 210
    Wellesley, MA 02481 USA
    (T) 781.489.6776
    (F) 781.489.6233

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    Recent Blogs

    • Attorney Jonathan E. Fields Quoted in Wall Street Journal
    • Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW receives the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award Badge for 2021
    • WHAT YOUR DIVORCE LAWYER WANTS YOU TO KNOW BUT WOULD NEVER TELL YOU TO YOUR FACE – New Article by Attorney Vicki L. Shemin Published in Thrive Global
    • Attorney Jonathan Fields Quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
    • Please Support Fields and Dennis LLP’s Fundraiser for K9s For Warriors

    Recent Firm News & Coverage

    • Attorney Jonathan E. Fields Quoted in Wall Street Journal

    • Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW receives the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award Badge for 2021

    • Attorney Jonathan Fields Quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

    • Please Support Fields and Dennis LLP’s Fundraiser for K9s For Warriors

    • A Divorce Practitioner’s Bitcoin Primer

    The Boston metro family law, divorce and estate planning attorneys at the law firm of Fields and Dennis LLP are based in the Newton Wellesley area and serve the city of Newton: Auburndale, Chestnut Hill, Newton Centre, Newton Corner, Newton Upper Falls, Newton Lower Falls, Nonantum, Oak Hill, Waban and West Newton and town of Wellesley: Babson Park, Wellesley Hills, Wellesley Square Fields and Dennis also serves many clients in the Greater Boston and Massachusetts region including Ashland, Dover, Holliston, Medfield, Needham, Sherborn, Westwood, and all of Massachusetts.

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