One of the issues regarding collaborative divorce is that the process is not well known. The movement is approximately twenty years old and has a history in Michigan of about ten years. However, slowly the attorneys, general public, and judges, are becoming more aware of the process. When people become aware of the collaborative process they are generally very receptive.

Recently, there was a collaborative case which came before Judge Patrick Hillary, the previous chief judge of the Family Division for the County of Kent. In that collaborative case, on the record, he said:

“I think the record should be clear, but maybe it isn’t, everybody might not know what the collaborative process is, but basically attorneys who are skilled and specifically trained in collaborative law, work together and attempt to resolve the case in the most civil manner as possible working very closely with the clients, and the attorneys work very closely together to help the clients reach a mutual agreement.”

This type of recognition and affirmation gives encouragement to collaborative practitioners and should help give the general public confidence in the process.