Clients are unhappy with their lawyers, with the system, and with the outcomes of the process.
Lawyers are extraordinarily unhappy or even impaired.
Nonlegal dispute resolution mechanisms in society have failed and society is depending on litigative processes to resolve conflict. Perhaps in response to these developments, a number of alternative approaches to law practice are emerging to replace the old, out-moded monolithic system. All of these approaches attempt to optimize the wellbeing of the people involved in each legal matter and acknowledge the importance of concerns beyond simply strict legal rights. No litigation is usually instituted until settlement is reached and the attorneys are forbidden from representing their clients in court should the agreement process break down. Basically, it puts the divorcing spouses with their respective attorneys into a collaborative, 4-way series of discussions designed to reach settlement outside of litigation.