Receive FREE Special Report First Name Email Address I Respect Your Email Privacy

COLLABORATIVE LAW CASES

(a) Designation. A case may be designated a "Collaborative Law Case" if the parties have signed a written Collaborative Law Agreement that provides for 1) a full exchange of information, 2) the withdrawal of the party's attorney (whether or not said attorney is of record) upon the termination of the collaborative law process, and 3) the joint retention of any consultants needed to assist the parties in the collaborative law process, unless otherwise authorized by the written agreement of the parties. The words "Collaborative Law Case" shall be placed below the case number in the case caption on all documents filed with the Court. Attorneys representing parties to a Collaborative Law Case may be, but are not required to be, of record.

(b) Contested Matters. As long as a case is designated a Collaborative Law Case, no contested matters shall be filed with the Court. Collaborative Law Cases shall not be subject to Rule 14.12. A Collaborative Law Case filed in the Central District shall be assigned to Department 2 for as long as the case remains a Collaborative Law Case.

(c) Termination. Either party may terminate the designation of a case as a Collaborative Law Case without cause by both providing a written notice of such termination to the other party and filing with the Court a copy of the notice of termination and a proof of service upon the other party. The filing of contested matters by either party shall also terminate the designation of the case as a Collaborative Law Case, effective on the date of such filing. Upon termination of the Collaborative Law Case designation, any party's attorney's status as attorney of record shall terminate without further notice. The filing by an attorney of record of a motion to withdraw from a Collaborative Law Case does not terminate the designation of a Collaborative Law Case.

(Rule 14.26 [adopted 7/1/04] amended and effective 1/1/05.)