The simple answer is that there are no clear cut statistics available which show the percentage of divorces that are classified as collaborative in nature vs ones that are not. However, there are some other very interesting statistics around this topic.
In 2010 the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) found that 86% of cases which started as collaborative never went to court. A later study by the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals found that between 2013 and 2018, 92% of cases ended in full resolution.
Benefits of Collaborative Divorce
The benefits of trying the collaborative approach are myriad. The most important factors found when talking to people who have completed the process was time & money. Collaborative divorce saves you both. For comparison, a litigated divorce takes about 18 months, on average, to complete. A full 95% of collaborative divorces are completed in less than 12. Cases of collaborative divorce in Melbourne Florida average even less than that.
The general advice is to sit down with your partner and discuss these things before moving forward. Do you both want a divorce? Would you both prefer to discuss the process with a trained professional before going to court?
If you answer yes to these questions then a collaborative divorce may be the path for you. You can usually find a local attorney who specializes in collaborative divorce by performing a simple Google search.
Training and Professionalism
The person handling your collaborative divorce will be trained in the field. They will see pitfalls coming before you do and help guide you around them. The benefit to hiring a professional is that they have performed this task many times whereas you have not. They are there to help you and your former partner work things out in an amicable manner. That is their ultimate goal.
