How a Trained Collaborative Divorce Attorney Can Help You

The ending of the marriage is often a tumultuous process that involves a number of difficult decisions that can take its toll on not only the spouses, but the entire family. The process of ending a marriage, however, does not have to be filled with animosity and harsh arguments.

Couples who want to end their marriage with minimal conflict and develop mutually beneficial arrangements for their lives after marriage, often find Collaborative Process divorce an attractive alternative.

Before you decide whether to hire a particular attorney to represent you in a Collaborative Process divorce, it is important to know what type of background, experience and training that attorney has. Although Ohio law specifically authorizes the use of the Collaborative Process, it does not require that an attorney representing a client in the process have any specialized training. The fact is, however, that selecting a family attorney who has not received training in the Collaborative Process, may very-well result in the process not reaching a successful conclusion. If that occurs, not only is it likely that you will end up in court involved in adversarial litigation, but you will also be required to hire new counsel as the attorney who represents you in the Collaborative Process, cannot subsequently represent you in adversarial litigation if the Collaborative Process is not successful.

When determining whether to hire a particular attorney to represent you in a Collaborative Process divorce, be sure to consider the following:

• Has the attorney taken a basic introductory two-day training seminar devoted exclusively to the Collaborative divorce process?
• At least annually, has the attorney attended advanced training seminars in the Collaborative Process?
• How much experience does the attorney have in representing clients in actual Collaborative Process cases?
• Is the attorney a member and active participant in an organization of attorneys and other professionals devoted to the Collaborative Process and learning how to serve their clients more effectively in this Process?

John Heilbrun received his initial training in the Collaborative Process in 2001. Since then, he has represented numerous clients in the Collaborative Divorce Process, which has enabled these clients to conclude their marriages through open and honest communications and discussions rather than the heightened contentiousness involved in an adversarial divorce case.

John Heilbrun is an active participant in the Cincinnati Academy of Collaborative Professionals. This organization not only holds annual seminars related to the Collaborative Process, but also includes monthly group meetings to discuss issues that arise in the Collaborative Process. At those monthly meetings, all the professionals in the group share insights on how to help people ending their marriages to successfully settle the issues that need to be resolved.

In addition to his 15+ years of experience and ongoing training in the Collaborative Divorce Process, John Heilbrun has over 30 years of experience in family law. If you are considering the end of your marriage, please contact John Heilbrun at 513-321-3940 to schedule an initial consultation.