Program Overview
The Carpool Lane
This program is designed to help parties representing themselves in pending court cases avoid lengthy delays, the stress of court proceedings, and the uncertainty of a trial or hearing. Without losing their current place in the court process, parties with disputed family law issues have a chance to participate in a respectful negotiation process with the expert guidance of trained conflict resolution professionals in a short amount of time, and at an affordable price.
The program is based on “collaborative family law,” a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) that allows a family to negotiate and settle their case outside of court. Similar to mediators, Collaborative Family Lawyers are trained in helping separating and divorcing parents and spouses work together to resolve their disputes, instead of arguing about them unproductively.
Watch the Program Overview video or download and read the transcript to learn more.
How does it work?
The Collaborative Family Law process enables two separating spouses or co-parents to take more control over decisions about what happens to their family or their finances. With the help of trained family law professionals, the spouses or co-parents are equipped and enabled to listen to one another’s concerns and desires, and then spend their time working together to find creative solutions that allow everyone’s interests to be addressed. The participants can often begin focusing on how they are going to navigate the future, in light of the changes in their relationship, instead of getting stuck fighting about what happened in the past.
Who Is It For?
The Carpool Lane is currently designed for cases in which neither party currently has a lawyer, and each party is representing himself or herself in a pending family court case. To be able to participate, however, both parties must agree and commit to the collaborative process.
What Is The Cost?
ALL CASES WILL BE HANDLED AT NO CHARGE. THAT'S RIGHT! IF YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE BOTH OPT-IN AND YOUR CASE IS ACCEPTED, YOU WILL EACH GET TO PARTICIPATE FOR FREE.
