Paul Hermann is a trained collaborative law professional and is prepared to guide you through the process in order to reach a positive solution for both parties involved. Below is specific information explaining what collaborative law is, why you should choose collaborative law, as well as who practices collaborative law. For additional detailed information please visit Collaborative Law Institute of Georgia website.  The following information can be found in greater detail here.

What is collaborative law?

    Collaborative law is a form of settlement in which the parties involved attempt to reach a fair settlement through a series of meetings, often called ‘joint sessions’, between each party and his or her lawyer, and when necessary, other neutral experts.  In these meetings the goal is to clearly identify the interests and priorities of the parties as well as to help them reach a settlement that is consistent with those interests and priorities.  Collaborative law has quickly become a preferred way to resolve issues regarding families, such as divorce, because of the process’s tendency to preserve relationships between the parties more than disputes settled in court.

Why choose collaborative law?

    The main reason people choose collaborative law is simply to preserve relationships.  Here is a list of additional reasons people choose collaborative law:

• Client involvement: The client  is crucial to the settlement process and is more involved in the decisions which affect their lives than in litigation.
• Support: Each party receives support from their attorney in a way that allows the attorneys to work with one another in resolving the dispute.
• Less expensive: In general the collaborative process is less expensive as well as more efficient than litigation.
• Positive climate: The collaborative process produces a climate that is more positive for both parties.  This process makes a “win-win” settlement a possibility.
• Efficiency: The speed of the collaborative process depends solely on the schedules of the parties involved rather than the court’s schedule, so it is almost always a faster process over all.
• Creative problem solving: The collaborative process implements and encourages creative solutions in resolving the legal dispute.
• The client is boss: The decision making process rests in the hands of the clients.
• Less stressful: The collaborative process is much less stressful than Court Proceedings.  The parties involved are free to focus on the issue at hand rather than dealing with the anxiety of possibly “going to court”.

Who practices collaborative law?

    In collaborative law professionals from several fields come together to resolve the dispute.  All the professionals involved are trained in the collaborative process and withhold the Standards of Conduct and follow the Guidelines of Practice established by the Collaborative Law Institute of Georgia.

• Lawyers are trained in family law.
• Mental health professionals have a working knowledge of family systems.
• Financial professionals are trained in cash flow analyses, implications of support payments, asset division, and the guidelines of child support.

For more information on the specifics of collaborative law, please visit the Collaborative Law Institute of Georgia website.

Our dedicated firm, located in downtown Atlanta is specialized in handling a large range of legal needs, including automobile accidents, medical malpractice, nursing home injury or death, medical device product liability, prescription drug liability, personal injury, mediation, arbitration, collaborative law, and professional negligence & breach of trust. We are proud to have served the state of Georgia for over 25 years.