Collaborative Family Law – Spreading Virtually Like a Pandemic (But a Good One!)

Normally, when couples decide to end their relationship, there are a number of ways they can do it. If there is a high level of cooperation between the two, they may be able to work everything out themselves. If there is little to no agreement, they can go through mediation, arbitration, collaborative law or go to court.

During the pandemic, however, we have seen one method stand out far from the rest – Collaborative Family Law. The courts keep shutting down and adjourning cases with the result that there is a growing backlog. Getting a Family Law special chambers date, depending on how much time is required, may take a year or more. Do you really want to wait that long to settle your affairs?

Collaborative Family lawyers continued their work remotely while everything else ground to a halt. Not only does that mean that couples are getting results faster, but it has also opened up the possibility of Collaborative Family Law in areas of Alberta where there are no Collaboratively trained lawyers. If you live in Fort Chipewyan or you live in Pincher Creek you can still resolve your matters through Collaborative Family Law, even if there are no lawyers in town who practice in that area.

There are some advantages to having your four-way meetings conducted remotely. All participants feel physically and emotionally safe as they are in their own unique physical space. With a close-up view of everyone’s faces, gauging the atmosphere or reactions of others is sometimes easier. Screen-sharing allows parties to work collaboratively on document-building. Scheduling is often easier as people do not have to leave wherever they are to attend the meeting.

Shannon does miss the cookies that we used to offer when we would have collaborative meetings in house! Frankly, in-person meetings have a different feel that sometimes is lacking in the virtual meetings. However, being aware of that allows us to try to take additional steps to ensure that we create a respectful, constructive atmosphere during the video-conference meetings.

Collaborative Family Law is now a viable option whether you are in a big city like Edmonton or Calgary or a smaller center like Two Hills or Hinton; whether you are in the far North like High Level or the deep South like Cardston; whether you hail from the East in Provost or you are in the wild West of Fairview. You don’t need to look far to get a Collaboratively trained lawyer to help you resolve your matters quickly, kindly and cost-effectively.

Our lawyers at Gunn Law Group have already started helping clients in areas of the province which are hours away physically – but so close virtually. Our firm has always been known for its willingness to travel anywhere to help clients who need us. That ability keeps growing. Collaborative Family Law is now open to everyone.