Collaborative divorce gives you more control, less conflict, and a process that puts your family’s needs first. It helps you reach agreements through cooperation instead of going to court.
A Smarter Way to Divorce
If you are thinking about ending your marriage, you might already feel anxious about what comes next. Collaborative Divorce offers a different way forward. It is one of the most thoughtful and effective ways for families to go through divorce. You work with lawyers trained not only in family law but also in Mediation. This means they focus on reducing conflict, helping you stay focused on your priorities, and working together to meet the needs of your family.
Depending on your situation, the team might include a divorce coach, child specialist, or financial professional. Everyone is working together, not against each other, with the same goal: to help you and your family move through this transition with care and direction.
Why It Is Different from Court
Traditional divorce is based on the rules of the court. These rules were originally created to resolve criminal cases and business disputes. It is an adversarial model built on two sides battling it out with a judge making the final call. That setup does not work well for families who want to keep parenting together after the divorce is over.
In contrast, Collaborative Divorce removes the attack and defend approach. Instead of fighting in court, you and your spouse agree to work within a defined process that supports long-term family goals. If the process does not lead to resolution, you both agree to hire new lawyers before going to court. But in most cases, agreements are reached, often more than 90 percent of the time.
Protecting Your Children
One of the strongest reasons to choose Collaborative Divorce is to help protect your children from emotional harm. Child specialists and trained professionals can guide you in building a parenting plan that works for your family. They understand child development, how family systems function, and what children need most during this time. When parents focus on what matters most, such as stability, peace, and cooperation, the entire family benefits.
Contact McNeill Family Law
If you are considering divorce and want a respectful, family-focused approach, call 587-956-9300 or contact McNeill Family Law to schedule a consultation. We can help you explore whether Collaborative Divorce is right for you and support you through the process.
McNeill Family Law is located at #200, 638 11 Ave S.W., Calgary, Alberta T2R 0E2
Beryl McNeill is a Calgary divorce lawyer who strongly believes mutual respect and understanding go a long way toward resolving family law matters. As a Registered Collaborative Law practitioner in Calgary, she has dedicated her firm to amicable, cooperative negotiation as a means for settling divorces. Furthermore, throughout her law career, Beryl has seen the costs of adversarial negotiations, both financial and emotional. In emphasizing the collaborative approach, Beryl offers her clients a more efficient model that preserves personal and monetary assets alike.
More and more individuals are attracted to resolving their family law matters in a civil, respectful way. Therefore, they come to Beryl from many walks of life—as professionals in the oil and gas industry and their spouses, business owners, and working spouses with children. Clients say that even after a single consultation with Beryl they feel less stressed and more clear about the way forward.
Beryl understands the often fearful, emotional early stages of divorce. Incorporating skills developed from her training as a life coach, Beryl helps clients move beyond their stress response to more logical, creative thinking. Once there, she works with clients to discover what’s truly important to them in attaining divorce. Furthermore, she encourages clients to picture what a successful settlement would look like a year or more down the road as a means of focusing on their goals. By educating and empowering clients, Beryl seeks to transform the way they resolve family disputes—in a more constructive, intelligent and amicable way than would be possible otherwise.
Finally, Beryl is very active with the Family Bar and the Collaborative Law Community. Her involvement provides her clients with the assurance that she has her finger on the pulse of Family Law in Alberta, offering them a distinct advantage in their quest for equity and civility.