Since an attorney is “conflicted out” (not able to represent you in litigation if the Collaborative Process does not work) I am committed to helping you and you spouse work out your differences. I will bring to bear all my talent, education, skills and experience to find innovative ways to meet your concerns and needs, helping you craft a resolution that fits YOU.  Collaborative Attorneys recognize the day after you get your divorce, you and your spouse and children are still a FAMILY and will be for many years.  You are a “re-constituted” or “re-formed” family, but still a family. We can find ways to make those years as compatible as possible.

Yes. You can always stop the process. No information disclosed during the Collaborative negotiations can be used in court. The attorneys representing you and your spouse in the Collaborative cannot represent either of you in the litigation.

In the Collaborative Process, no issue is resolved until or unless you agree to it. It is my job to educate you on the law, your rights and your obligations. Your rights are protected since you never make a decision without knowing what they are. Any choices you make are informed choices. The Collaborative Attorneys are like guides on a canoe trip, with you and your spouse doing the paddeling. We offer suggestions and alternatives but ultimately YOU make the decision. You and your spouse are in control.

The Collaborative process requires the consent of both the husband and the wife, since everyone must sign a Participation Agreement. Collaborative Divorce CANNOT be used if either one of the parties objects. When I meet with prospective clients, I always give them a second set of materials explaining how the process works and encourage them to share this information with their spouse. Since you can always litigate if the process does not work for you, there is little to be lost in trying this approach first.

I began practicing matrimonial law in 1983.
As far as my involvement in Collaborative divorce, I started my training for this process in 2005. I attend between 40-50 hours per year in additional advanced collaborative and matrimonial law training and education. New York State only requires 24 hours of professional training every TWO years.  I am one of the founding members and am currently serving as the President of the Rockland Collaborative Law Network.

Yes there is. You can contact the IACP – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals on their website at www.collaborativepractice.com; the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals on their website at www.collaborativelawny.com; or The Rockland Collaborative Law Network at www.collaborativelawrockland.com. All these websites enable you to review and locate qualified attorneys in your area, in addition to finding many other collaborative resources.

The Collaborative Divorce Process was created in the mid-west in the 1990’s. It has taken time to reach New York. The first collaborative matrimonial attorneys began to receive their training in New York in about 2001, but it took several years before training became readily available in out state. Even though I received my initial Collaborative training in 2005, the public is still unfamiliar with this method and will frequently confuse it with Mediation.

I ask for a modest retainer deposit when we start, which is applied to my hourly rate and credited to your first bill. Thereafter monthly statements will be sent to you. You and your spouse can move the process along more slowly, if you need to save up the money to pay for each conference. Clients pay as they go. In an effort to make payment easier, I now accept all major credit cards.

We are located at 151 South Main Street in New City, NY 10956, Suite 110. Our Phone number is (845) 658-4062. For directions you can click on the Direction button located on every page of this website or go to www.google.com/maps and click on directions or you can call us and one of our staff will provide them to you.

The exact cost for any divorce is determined by the level of cooperation between you and your husband or wife. However the cost of Collaborative Divorce will almost always be considerably less than a litigated divorce.