Collaborative Practice

Settle Your Divorce Terms in Less than Seven Days

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Written by Russell Alexander ria@russellalexander.com / (905) 655-6335

Settle Your Divorce Terms in Less than Seven Days

That’s right- less than one week.

Unfortunately, even in the best of times, separation and divorce is a journey that over 40% of Canadian families will struggle with.  Our experience is that every family is different and (unfortunately) some choose to endure the pain, protracted process and costs of having lawyers and family courts decide and impose the terms of separation on their family.

However, these aren’t the best of times…We are now living in very unusual times – family courts are now closed with the exception of very limited emergency cases that are dealt with by means of telephone or teleconferences.  It is unlikely the court doors will open before June 2020 and new matters may be delayed for an extended period beyond then as the courts clear out the back log.  Some complained that even before the COVID 19 pandemic the system was plagued by delays and people often waited several months for conferences.  Happily, more and more couples are determined to be involved as key players in the planning and settlement process.

That is why we have developed “H.E.L.P” or the “High Efficiency Legal Process” for Families transiting separation and divorce. The genesis of this idea and approach was developed by the Collaborative Practice Institute. We are a community of collaboratively trained lawyers, financial professionals, business valuators, writers, educators, trainers, and service providers who collectively have pledged themselves to the aspirational goal:   “Senior practitioners. Deep thinkers. Serious business.”

What exactly is H.E.L.P.?

“High Efficiency Legal Process” (“H.E.L.P.”) offers couples who want to be involved in building their family’s next chapter including:

  • A client-centred multi-disciplinary team offering legal, financial and family counselling expertise
  • A collegial, not adversarial, planning mindset focused on helping both spouses identify and achieve their most important goals and interests
  • Robust, fact-based financials that create understandable financial options that preserve precious family wealth and work in the real world
  • Experienced parenting co-ordinators offering insights that support and strengthen key relationships
  • A process roadmap setting out each step, who is accountable, the effort required and an estimate of cost to achieve settlement
  • A clear plan setting out high mutual expectations of the team and clients

The road to resolution will place bumps in the way.  That’s normal.  H.E.L.P. is not for every family. Families that are in deep conflict or parties that view the separation process as a means to exact revenge or war by another means aren’t good candidates for H.E.L.P.  Resolving all of the issues your family needs to tackle is a journey – H.E.L.P.’s goal is to create sustainable (and wise) agreements between spouses.  H.E.L.P. offers you a team of highly experienced and collaborative professionals who will provide you with the support, guidance and options to resolve your questions and enable you to build the best winning conditions for your next chapter.

Who are we?

We are experienced collaborative family law practitioners that have kicked it up a notch and developed H.E.L.P. for high-expectation clients facing separation and divorce.

Our goal is to show you both how you can successfully settle the terms of a couples divorce in under seven days.  Our target clients are people like you who share a deep commitment to achieve this level of efficiency.

Do you and your spouse seek to understand and manage the pace, level of effort and costs of the separation process?  Do you have high expectations of your advisors, each other and the process you will choose to guide you through the largest financial and emotional journey of your lives?

Here is what people are saying about Divorce H.E.L.P.

The collaborative practice team met a couple of times over a period of one week via online chat, which not only saved time and expense but, also provided a safe and convenient environment for all.  The meetings were conducted very professionally and the parties appeared satisfied with the turnaround time as they were in receipt of a fully executed separation agreement within one week of retaining counsel.

– Christine A.

 I am glad that the process was wrapped up so quickly with six business days from the initial phone consultation to having the agreement completed.

– Ken H.

My experience working with this collaborative team was very progressive. It incorporated a team building component that facilitated group decision-making and strong client relations. The process gave rise to self-motivation, satisfaction, and commitment by all. 

This collaborative procedure made optimal use of technology. The sharing of information, development of common goals/interests, and the creation of options and outcomes were all accomplished effectively with the assistance of technology. All meetings with clients as well as full team meetings occurred virtually in a timely manner. The matter was completed in a one-week duration from start to finish.

The culture and climate of this collaborative experience was a good fit for task completion. The process felt transformational and less transactional. Overall, it was a very satisfactory process with a culture of connectedness and collaboration.

– Allyson G.

From first intakes with their respective lawyers to signing a full and comprehensive Separation Agreement took less than 7 days.

The professional team worked hard collectively to mobilize quickly and gather the necessary financial information. That information was then compiled and explained and options generated. 

The clients were involved throughout the process by virtual means and were reviewing documents as things were coming together. They made informed decisions after generating meaningful options.

The process was smooth, efficient, unintrusive and accomplished their goals. It was a complete success. 

– Mr. J

We had the team and we had the talent.  The settlement was a complete success.

– R.A.

To learn more

To learn more about H.E.L.P. or to how to schedule a virtual consultation, click here

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About the author

Russell Alexander

Russell Alexander is the Founder & Senior Partner of Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers.