ABOUT US

Collaborative Divorce Professionals of the Inland Empire (CDPIE) was founded in 2007 to assist couples contemplating divorce and educate interested persons and professionals about out-of-court options to traditional divorce litigation, including collaborative divorce. Experienced CDPIE members include family law attorneys, and mental health and financial professionals, all of whom are specially trained in collaborative divorce, mediation, and conflict resolution.

CDPIE professionals offer a team approach to provide legal advice, emotional assistance, and financial guidance – much more support than is usually available to divorcing couples and their families. Our attorneys guide you through the legal process to reach a negotiated settlement. Our coaches assist you in managing your anxiety, communicating directly and respectfully, creating a parenting plan, and giving your children a voice. Our financial professionals help educate you about the best ways to divide your assets and finance two households. CDPIE professionals support you through your transition in a knowledgeable, compassionate, and non-adversarial way to make the best decisions for your family.

The fee for CDPIE professionals varies, but because they are committed to working with you as a team, the overall cost of your divorce is likely to be less than the cost of a traditional divorce.

For more information, please contact a collaborative divorce attorney, coach or financial specialist.

The Role of The Collaborative Family Law Attorney

Each party has a collaborative family law attorney. In individual meetings with the client, and in joint meetings with the other attorney and the other party, each attorney will:

  1. Represent the best interests of the respective client while maintaining the overall goals of the collaborative process.
  2. Work with the other attorney and the entire collaborative team to help the parties design the settlement agreement that is most appropriate for their family.
  3. Facilitate settlement discussions and incorporate client agreements into the final settlement documents.
  4. Prepare all the documents that need to be filed with the Court.

The Role of the Collaborative Divorce Coach

Each party has a collaborative divorce coach who is a licensed mental health professional. In individual and joint meetings with their attorneys and the rest of the collaborative team, the coaches work with the couple to:

  1. Identify and prioritize the concerns of each party
  2. Make effective use of conflict resolution and communication skills
  3. Develop effective co-parenting skills
  4. Improve communication between the parties
  5. Reduce misunderstandings
  6. Solve problems as they arise

The collaborative divorce process has demonstrated that the family can get through divorce in a more emotionally healthy way when the couple interacts and communicates in a more respectful, honest, and open manner. The couple uses the communication and self-management skills taught to them by their coaches to discuss settlements and improve post-divorce co-parenting.

The Role of the Collaborative Divorce Child Coach

A collaborative team child coach works with the children and parents to:

  1. Provide each child with an opportunity to voice concerns regarding the divorce
  2. Provide the parents with the information and guidance they'll need to help their children through the divorce process
  3. Work with the parties and collaborative team to help the parents in developing an effective co-parenting plan

The Role of the Collaborative Divorce Financial Specialist

The collaborative team financial specialist works with the couple to:

  1. Provide ongoing, practical guidance for financial planning, support, and budgeting throughout the divorce process
  2. Assist with the discovery process by gathering and organizing documentation and information relating to the parties' incomes, expenses, assets, and debts.
  3. Ensure that both parties have a thorough understanding of their financial situation
  4. Educate the parties regarding the short- and long-term economic consequences of the settlement plans being considered
  5. Help enable the parties make fully informed, situation-appropriate decisions

For more information about the collaborative divorce process, see What is Collaborative Divorce.