Collaborative Law began with a family lawyer who was disenchanted with the negative effects of litigation on clients and their lawyers. Out of his frustration, a new dispute resolution process was born. Lawyers soon realized that there are many reasons that the benefits of the collaborative process should be extended beyond family cases. Collaborative lawyers discovered that disputes could be settled quickly at a fraction of the cost of ordinary litigation due to a completely different approach to negotiations. In addition, the process offers a confidential forum away from the courthouse, and scheduling is at the discretion of the parties rather than court dockets. Knowing that the majority of classes in law schools emphasize an adversarial approach to dispute resolution, this author set out to compile materials to teach law and business students about this new non-adversarial form of dispute resolution which focuses on the clients and their interests and concerns rather than the lawyers and the legal system. Beginning with a history of the law and continuing through a review of several forms of dispute resolution, the text then addresses the collaborative process and provides questions and exercises for readers to use in developing collaborative skills of their own.

This unique new handbook explains this emerging dispute resolution model of collaborative law that is helping family lawyers bring their clients through the divorce passage with integrity and satisfaction. Collaborative Law describes how this approach engages the unique problem-solving skills of lawyers to achieve settlements that creatively and appropriately customize outcomes in the way that few courts are able to achieve. In the collaborative process, fees and costs are minimized, high-quality legal counsel and negotiating assistance are built in, and the ability of divorcing spouses to cooperate and coparent is maximized to a dramatic extent.

The groundbreaking alternative for the millions of couples with children who face divorce each year—couples who want to avoid litigation, but don’t want to give up on getting what they want. Even under the best circumstances, divorce can be marked by a range of painful emotions. But research now reveals that how a couple conducts themselves during a divorce has far greater impact on their children than the act of divorcing itself. Groundbreaking and revolutionary, The Collaborative Way to Divorce is the first guide to the Collaborative process, a nationally acclaimed approach based on the concept that both spouses hire legal representation, yet agree to resolve their differences with no intention of ever going to court. Stressing cooperation over confrontation and resolution over revenge, Collaborative divorce is fast transforming how couples dissolve their marriages, divide their assets, and reinvent their post-divorce relationships, particularly when they have children. Written by Stu Webb, the founder of the Collaborative law movement and Ron Ousky, an early pioneer of the process, The Collaborative Way to Divorce guides you through the steps of the Collaborative process so that you can make better, more informed, and more strategic decisions—resulting in a win-win outcome for you and your spouse.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.