Camille Milner

I tried over 50 jury trials and, as a trial lawyer, I loved every minute of it, but as a human being, I came to realize that a trial in a courtroom is no place to restructure a family who is having to go through a divorce. The courtroom will finalize a divorce, but the collateral damage done to a family, especially the children, in a trial, is something from which they (and future generations) many never recover. Even though over 95% of all cases are settled before trial, few people consider the difference in a case that is settled late in the process, after the client’s resources are used to prepare for a trial that will never happen, versus the parties’ resources being concentrated on developing a quality, durable settlement. About 25 years ago, Collaborative Divorce was created by a visionary lawyer who imagined a process which would help families work through the divorce process, as awful as it is, in a way that will help the family heal and continue to be a family, even if they are not all living in the same home. The theory of Collaborative Divorce is based on science from the Harvard Negotiation Project, which shows that settlements reached using what is called “interest-based” negotiation rather than “positional” negotiation, result in overall better outcomes for everyone involved. If you would like to know more about Collaborative Divorce and our success stories for helping families through this process, contact me at (940) 383-2674 or camille@milner-law.com.