The collaborative process offers you the opportunity to dissolve your marriage and resolve other family issues in an amicable, less costly fashion. The process requires that you and your spouse deal with each other on a courteous, civil basis. In the collaborative process, you are relieved from much stress and expense associated with the adversarial process, and within the framework of applicable law, you maintain ultimate control over the outcome of your case. The rules of collaborative law require that you, your spouse, and your lawyers exhaust all settlement possibilities before you seek any relief, whatsoever, from the courts.