That is, the parties are asked to disclose this information voluntarily and to verify it with documentation and tax returns. If experts are needed the choice is an agreed one. Of course, some couples have already done this when they seek legal advice, but there are often aspects of the divorce which they cannot know as lay people, such as tax consequences, and how far back support payments can be backdated, and the like. We put the issue we're working on in the center of the table, and we also put any and all possible solutions in the center as well. Perhaps due to this focus, something extraordinary often happens in the 4-way process.
Parties start seeing things more from their spouse's position.
In addition, the determination and intent of collaborative lawyers to remain in the realm of creating rather than destroying makes a world of difference to both process and result. The next step is for one of the parties' lawyers to draft legal documents to convert their informal agreements into legally binding ones which are then submitted to the Court for approval, usually without any Court hearing. If the parties cannot reach settlement with the help of their collaborative lawyers, there may be an exploration of whether they may want to try an alternative way to resolve their matter. If not, then their collaborative lawyers would withdraw and the parties would proceed to obtain attorneys to prepare the matter for trial. It does seem that way, out of context , but in actuality it is not.