Within six months in 1999, Moertl's marriage was ended. Her son, now 10, worked with his parents to shape a visitation schedule that suited his needs. Moertl, who is going through a career change from vice president of a Cincinnati bank to director of the city's neighborhood services department, said she and her ex-husband were able to work things out, rather than have a judge make the decisions. I felt that I was treated fairly in the process. Several hundred attorneys in various U.S. and Canadian cities are practicing collaborative law.
Lawyers train each other in the process through professional meetings and a quarterly journal.
The idea is spreading but still accounts for only a small percentage of divorces and dissolutions nationwide. Nobody involved has reliable statistics. Lawyers involved say it's also suitable for prenuptial agreements and issues such as palimony that occur in separations outside marriage. Avoiding court battles lessens the chance of poisoning relationships that must continue because of children or business interests, said Cincinnati lawyer Sherri Goren Slovin. In the collaborative process, the couples and their lawyers agree that if either spouse won't see it through, both spouses must hire new attorneys and start over, paying more legal fees.