Collaborative Practice

We are currently involved in a collaborative practice matter involving parties who were originally from a large regional town in Victoria.

The parties had extensive business interests in the town where they had resided together and substantial assets which assets were included in the business, personally and in their superannuation fund. The business was a successful business although the husband had extended their company and personal debts beyond a level that was sustainable from the income earned by their business.

Collaborative practice meetings were arranged to take place in Melbourne.  The husband engaged a solicitor in Melbourne to act on his behalf.  I was acting for the wife who resided in Queensland.  My client and I traveled to Melbourne by plane on the days scheduled for our collaborative meetings.

My client was still emotionally involved as a result of the breakdown in her marriage. Assisting us with the collaborative meetings were a psychologist (a communication expert) and an accountant (financial adviser).  All professional members of the collaborative practice meetings had been trained in collaborative practice.

The psychologist met the parties prior to the meetings taking place and gained full knowledge of their emotional issues and of matters that were of concern to them.  A debriefing was arranged with the professional members of the collaborative practice group prior to the meeting taking place with the parties so that we had full knowledge of emotional issues that might be disruptive to the meeting.  The psychologist took control of the initial stages of the first meeting to set the tone for the meeting and to assist the parties in communicating with each other.

The collaborative practice was a great assistance to these parties in resolving financial issues arising from the breakdown in their marriage.

Did you know that Madonna, Uma Thurman, and Robyn Williams used the collaborative approach to resolve matters arising from the breakdown in their marriages?

What do you think of Collaborative Practice?

Do you believe it is an effective way of resolving matters arising from the breakdown of a relationship?

FAQ

Can you explain what the collaborative practice matter involving parties from a large regional town in Victoria is about?

The collaborative practice matter involves parties who were originally from a large regional town in Victoria, who had extensive business interests in the town and substantial assets included in the business, personal, and in their superannuation fund. The husband had extended their company and personal debts beyond a level that was sustainable from the income earned by their business.

What is the collaborative practice approach, and who was involved in the process for this matter?

Collaborative practice is a process that involves parties and their legal representatives working together to resolve disputes without going to court. For this matter, a psychologist and an accountant also participated in the collaborative practice meetings, which were arranged to take place in Melbourne. The husband engaged a solicitor in Melbourne to act on his behalf, and the wife was represented by a solicitor from Queensland.

Were the emotional issues of the parties involved in the collaborative practice addressed in this matter?

Yes, the psychologist who was part of the collaborative practice meetings met with the parties before the meetings to gain full knowledge of their emotional issues and concerns. A debriefing was also arranged with the professional members of the collaborative practice group before the meetings with the parties to ensure that they had full knowledge of emotional issues that might be disruptive to the meetings. The psychologist took control of the initial stages of the first meeting to set the tone and help the parties communicate with each other.

Is Collaborative Practice effective in resolving matters arising from the breakdown of a relationship?

Collaborative practice can be an effective way to resolve matters arising from the breakdown of a relationship, as it allows parties to work together to reach a mutually beneficial outcome. However, its effectiveness depends on the willingness of the parties to participate and the complexity of the issues involved.

Did Madonna, Uma Thurman, and Robin Williams use the collaborative approach to resolve matters arising from the breakdown in their marriages?

It is a common misconception that Madonna, Uma Thurman, and Robin Williams used collaborative practice to resolve matters arising from the breakdown of their marriages. While they may have used alternative dispute resolution methods, there is no evidence that they used collaborative practice specifically.