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Kantaras & Andreopoulus Attorneys at Law

St Petersburg & Tampa Collaborative Attorney

Understanding collaborative divorce in Florida

We have law offices in Largo, Holiday & Palm Harbor serving Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties

K. Dean Kantaras is Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by the Florida Bar

Under the right circumstances, a collaborative divorce in the Tampa area can be a good way for divorcing couples to arrive at a win-win agreement without giving control to a judge.  But a collaborative divorce has many strict legal requirements that may not be appropriate for all couples.  The St. Petersburg and Tampa collaborative lawyers at the Law Offices of Kantaras & Andreopoulos have the specialized skills and training to determine if a collaborative divorce is right for you.

How collaborative divorce works

A collaborative divorce is a true negotiation process between both spouses to arrive at an agreement to terms of their divorce.  The process is generally facilitated by two specially trained collaborative lawyers.  In Tampa and throughout the state, a single lawyer can facilitate the process for both spouses because the goal is a win-win for both parties.

This process is not for everyone.  Certain conditions need to be present to ensure a successful outcome, including the following:

  • Dedication to the process:  Both spouses and their attorneys must be dedicated to attending the required negotiation meetings and seeing the process through to the end to achieve fair conditions for the divorce.
  • Equal bargaining power:  Both spouses must be equally matched in their ability to negotiate.  This means each must be able to trust that their overall goals are forthright.  If there was a severe lack of balance in the marriage, such as might be present when emotional abuse or domestic violence was involved, trained collaborative attorneys in Saint Petersburg are not likely to move forward with the process.
  • Training in collaborative law:  Any St Petersburg divorce attorney involved in the process should have undergone specialized training in Florida collaborative law.  In many cases, trained collaborative lawyers in St. Petersburg are unwilling to take a case when the other attorney does not have the training.

The requirements of Tampa collaborative family law

If you are considering a collaborative divorce, you need to be aware of one critical rule—if agreement cannot be reached through collaboration, your collaborative attorneys in Tampa are not allowed to represent you if the case has to go to court.  This means you must jump back to the very beginning by finding a new attorney and starting over -- and is why skilled Tampa divorce lawyers spend a great deal of time ensuring the relationship of a divorcing couple can handle the process.  Tampa collaborative lawyers want to save couples unnecessary pain and frustration by attempting to virtually guarantee up front that a fair agreement can be reached.

Contact the Saint Petersburg and Tampa collaborative attorneys at Kantaras & Andreopoulos

Collaborative attorneys in Tampa and Saint Petersburg must have extensive skills and training in collaborative family law.  K. Dean Kantaras is board certified in marital and family law by the Florida Bar.  Those wishing to know more about the skilled representation we can offer in all aspects of family laws in Florida are invited to contact our firm at (727) 781-0000, or use our online contact form.

Our multiple offices are conveniently located in Largo, Clearwater, Holiday, and Palm Harbor, and we help clients in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.