Board Certified® Fort Worth & Southlake
Collaborative Law Attorneys in Fort Worth
100+ years of combined experience including four Board Certified attorneys.
- Complex, high-asset divorce and property division
- Business owner divorce and valuation disputes
- Contested custody and conservatorship
- Trial-ready representation in Tarrant County courts
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What is Collaborative Law?
Collaborative law offers a structured, private, and respectful alternative to traditional litigation, empowering you to shape your family’s future without a judge making the decisions for you. If you want to control the process, protect your privacy, and foster a healthy co-parenting relationship, a Texas collaborative law attorney can help you achieve a peaceful resolution.
At a Glance
At Mims Ballew Hollingsworth, we guide clients in Fort Worth and Southlake through collaborative divorce with more than 100 years of combined family law experience. Four of our attorneys are Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
We help clients resolve divorce, custody, child support, and property division matters through a structured, team-based process that prioritizes privacy, cooperation, and customized solutions. Working alongside neutral professionals when needed, we focus on reaching efficient, durable agreements without the uncertainty of litigation.
Recognized by Martindale-Hubbell (AV Preeminent), Super Lawyers, and Fort Worth Magazine’s Top Attorneys, we combine strategic insight with a respectful, solutions-oriented approach to help you move forward.
Please call: 817-900-8330.
How Collaborative Divorce Differs from Mediation & Litigation
The collaborative divorce process begins with you, your spouse, and both lawyers signing a participation agreement. This contract is a formal commitment to negotiate in good faith, remain transparent with all information, and agree not to pursue litigation.
To address specific needs, your team may also include neutral professionals, such as a financial advisor to untangle complex assets or a mental health coach to navigate emotional challenges. This team works together, with your best interests at the forefront, to craft a comprehensive and durable settlement.
Collaborative Divorce in Texas
Collaborative divorce is a legal process that allows couples to resolve their issues privately and without going through the litigation process. It is a structured and voluntary process designed to reach a fair and lasting settlement that works for your unique family situation.
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Who Should Consider Collaborative Divorce?
Collaborative divorce is an excellent option for many couples, but it requires a commitment to transparency and good faith from both parties.
Best-Fit Scenarios for Collaborative Law
This process is particularly well-suited for:
- Parents who want to protect their children from the emotional damage of a contentious courtroom battle and establish a positive co-parenting dynamic from the start.
- Business owners or high-net-worth individuals with complex property interests who need creative, customized solutions for asset division and want to keep financial details private.
- Couples who wish to maintain control over the timing, cost, and ultimate terms of their divorce agreement.
When It Might Not Be the Right Fit
Collaborative law may not be appropriate in all situations. It is generally not recommended if there is a history of domestic abuse, coercion, or severe power imbalance between spouses. The process relies on honesty and full disclosure; if one party is unwilling to participate in good faith or intends to hide assets, litigation may be necessary to protect your interests.
Cooperation, Not Confrontation
The core of collaborative law is a commitment to resolving conflict through open communication and shared solutions. Both you and your spouse will have your own specially trained collaborative divorce attorney to guide you and advocate for your interests. Together, you work toward a mutually beneficial outcome that prioritizes your family’s needs and goals.
While the process happens outside the courtroom, the collaborative divorce attorneys must still file the final agreement with the court to ensure it is legally binding.
How the Collaborative Process Works
The collaborative divorce process begins with you, your spouse, and both lawyers signing a participation agreement. This contract is a formal commitment to negotiate in good faith, remain transparent with all information, and agree not to pursue litigation.
To address specific needs, your team may also include neutral professionals, such as a financial advisor to untangle complex assets or a mental health coach to navigate emotional challenges. This team works together, with your best interests at the forefront, to craft a comprehensive and durable settlement.
Key Benefits of Collaborative Divorce
Choosing a collaborative path offers significant advantages that can lead to a more positive and stable future for your entire family.
More Control, Less Conflict
By staying out of court, you retain control over your divorce. The process encourages respectful communication and cooperation, which reduces the emotional and financial toll of a typical divorce. You and your spouse, with the guidance of your collaborative law attorneys, create custom solutions that fit your family’s unique needs, rather than settling for a one-size-fits-all court order.
Designed for Long-Term Success
Collaborative divorce is about more than just ending a marriage—it’s about restructuring your family in a healthy way. Because the agreements are mutually crafted, they have a higher rate of long-term success. This is especially crucial for parents who will need to co-parent for many years to come. Furthermore, the privacy of the process protects your personal and financial affairs from public scrutiny. While not always the case, this process is often faster and less expensive than a prolonged court battle.
Get In Touch With Us
We put you and your family first! Whether you are facing divorce, seeking adoption, or have a child custody case, you can rely on our legal team. Contact us today for a case review or legal consultation.
Why Choose MBH for Collaborative Divorce in Fort Worth & Southlake
When navigating a high-stakes divorce, the right legal team makes all the difference. At Mims Ballew Hollingsworth, we offer a unique advantage. Unlike firms where a single attorney handles a case, our lawyers work together, sharing more than 100 years of collective expertise to craft sophisticated strategies for our clients. This team-based approach is invaluable in complex cases involving significant or intricate assets.
Our attorneys are not only trained in collaborative law but are also seasoned litigators who understand courtroom strategy. This dual expertise allows us to guide you effectively through the collaborative divorce process while fully understanding the legal landscape. We have a trusted reputation in the Southlake and Fort Worth legal communities for our professionalism, discretion, and compassionate advocacy. We have decades of success helping clients resolve complex divorces privately and effectively.
If you are looking for a smarter, more civilized path to divorce, our Fort Worth divorce lawyers are here to guide you.
Frequently Asked Questions
In mediation, one neutral facilitator guides the conversation but cannot give legal advice. In collaborative law, each spouse has their own dedicated attorney advocating for their interests as part of a cooperative team that may also include other experts.
The timeline varies depending on the complexity of the issues and the couple's ability to reach an agreement. However, because it avoids court backlogs, a collaborative divorce is often completed more quickly than a litigated one, typically within six to nine months.
Absolutely. The collaborative divorce process is designed to resolve disagreements, including those related to custody and parenting plans. With the help of your attorneys and potentially a neutral child specialist, you can create a custom parenting plan that prioritizes your children's best interests.
In many cases, yes. While there are upfront costs for the professional team, the collaborative process can be more cost-effective in the long run by avoiding the expensive and time-consuming process of court hearings, formal discovery, and trial preparation.
If a settlement cannot be reached, the collaborative process terminates. The participation agreement requires both attorneys to withdraw from the case. You and your spouse would then need to hire new litigation attorneys to take the matter to court. This provision serves as a strong incentive for everyone involved to remain committed to finding a resolution.
Collaborative divorce is a structured, voluntary process in which you and your spouse each retain your own specially trained attorney and commit, in a signed participation agreement, to resolve your divorce through negotiation rather than litigation. Your team can also include neutral professionals, such as a financial advisor for complex assets or a mental health coach. The result is a private settlement you shape yourselves rather than one a judge imposes.
The process begins when you, your spouse, and both attorneys sign a participation agreement (a formal commitment to negotiate in good faith, disclose all information transparently, and not pursue litigation). From there, your team meets in a series of sessions to work through property, support, and parenting issues, bringing in neutral professionals as needed. Once you reach a settlement, your attorneys draft the agreement and file it with the court so it becomes legally binding.
Yes. While the negotiation happens entirely outside the courtroom, the final agreement is filed with and approved by the court, which makes it enforceable exactly like any other divorce decree. The participation agreement you sign at the outset is also a binding contract governing how the process itself is conducted.
It's a strong fit if you and your spouse can both commit to honesty and good-faith negotiation. It works particularly well for parents who want to protect their children from a contentious courtroom battle, business owners and high-net-worth individuals who need creative asset solutions and want financial details kept private, and couples who want control over the timing, cost, and terms of their agreement.
The main drawback is what happens if it fails: if you can't reach a settlement, the participation agreement requires both attorneys to withdraw, and you'd need to hire new litigation counsel and start over. There are also upfront costs for the professional team, and the process depends entirely on both spouses disclosing information honestly. That said, the withdrawal provision is intentional as it gives everyone a strong incentive to stay committed to reaching a resolution.
Collaborative law only works when both parties participate honestly, which is exactly why the participation agreement requires full transparency. If your spouse is concealing assets, refusing to disclose information, or using the process to stall, collaborative law isn't the right path and litigation may be necessary.
Cost depends on the complexity of your assets and how many sessions and professionals your case requires. There are upfront costs for building the team, but the process is often more cost-effective overall than litigation because it avoids court hearings, formal discovery, and trial preparation.
Professionals join your collaborative team to bring expertise neither attorney provides. A neutral financial professional helps untangle and value complex assets such as business interests, investment portfolios and retirement accounts so both spouses work from the same accurate picture. A child specialist or mental health coach helps parents navigate the emotional side of the process and build a parenting plan centered on the children's needs.
Separate property generally isn't subject to division in Texas. Property you owned before marriage, gifts made to you individually, inheritances, and certain personal injury recoveries fall under this umbrella. The complication is that separate property can lose that status if it's commingled with marital funds, which is why full financial transparency matters so much.