Articles and news from King County Collaborative Law – collaborative divorce insights, member updates, and family law resources for King County, Washington.
Divorce professionals often find that one spouse is further along in the emotional timeline of ending the marriage. One spouse may be ready to move forward and wants to make decisions as soon as possible; the other may still be reeling from the idea of divorce, let alone figuring out how to divide property. Neither…
As a Collaborative professional, you’ve likely seen how anxiety can derail divorce meetings. When overwhelmed by fear, clients struggle to think clearly, communicate effectively, and make sound decisions. This can slow down the process, cause inconsistent participation, and lead to non-durable agreements that unravel later. By addressing 3 common sources of pre-meeting anxiety, you can…
As a Collaborative divorce professional, your goal is to guide clients toward sustainable solutions. When client’s own property, recommending they work with a Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP) can be crucial for creating agreements that function in the real world. The Mortgage Knowledge Gap Even the most experienced attorneys can’t keep up with constantly changing…
As family law attorneys transition from litigation to Collaborative practice, many find themselves explaining the process by emphasizing what clients WON’T experience – no hostile court battles, no expensive discovery fights, no traumatic depositions, and no trial. While these are certainly benefits, this approach keeps litigation as the reference point and misses an opportunity to…
All KCCL members and friends are invited to join the organization’s listserv hosted at Groups.io. Here are 5 easy ways you can use this resource to build your practice: Hope to see you online!
When did you first start practicing Collaborative Law? I took the Collaborative Law Basic Training in 2015 and the 40-hour mediation training in 2016; however, I did not have my first full team Collaborative case until 2018. While many of the cases I handled at first felt collaborative in nature, it took a while to…
Chapter 7.77 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) holds the Uniform Collaborative Law Act, the foundational statute for Collaborative Practice. Though Collaborative participation agreements restate many parts of the statute, other parts are not discussed as frequently. They include: If you have additional thoughts or questions about chapter 7.77 RCW, the KCCL listserv would…
The KCCL Conflict Resolution Diagram is a visual tool to help clients understand their divorce options. It shows the different paths—kitchen table/DIY, mediation, collaborative law, and court—highlighting key factors like control, cost, and the professionals involved. Collaborative law is shown as a balanced option in the center, offering a way to resolve conflicts while maintaining…
Ready to dive into Collaborative Law but wondering how to find that first case? Here are some strategies that have worked well for other Collaborative professionals: 1. Show it off on your website. Make “Collaborative Law” the Beyoncé of your site—front and center. Explain its benefits in plain language that makes clients go, “Yes, I…