Rule 4-1.19 Collaborative Law Process in Family Law

(a) Duty to Explain Process to Client. A lawyer must obtain the informed consent of a client in a family law matter before proceeding in the collaborative law process after providing the client with sufficient information about the collaborative law process, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) the material benefits and risks of using the collaborative law process to resolve a family law matter; (2) the nature and scope of the matter to be resolved through the collaborative law process; (3) alternatives to the collaborative law process; (4) that participation in the collaborative law process is voluntary and any client may unilaterally terminate the collaborative law process for any reason; (5) that the collaborative law process will terminate if any participating client initiates a proceeding or seeks court intervention in a pending proceeding related to the collaborative law matter after the clients have signed the collaborative law agreement; (6) limitations on the lawyer’s participation in subsequent proceedings imposed by family law court rules on the collaborative law process; and (7) fees and costs the client can reasonably expect to incur in the collaborative law process, including the fees of the lawyers, mental health professionals, and financial professionals.

(b) Written Agreement Required. A lawyer is prohibited from representing a client in the collaborative process in a family law matter unless all participating lawyers and clients sign a written agreement that includes: (1) a statement of the clients’ intent to resolve a matter through the collaborative law process under these rules; (2) a description of the nature and scope of the matter; (3) identification of the lawyers participating in the collaborative law process and which client(s) they represent; (4) that the clients will make timely, full, candid and informal disclosure of information related to the collaborative matter without formal discovery and will promptly update previously disclosed information that has materially changed; (5) that participation in the collaborative law process is voluntary and any client may unilaterally terminate the collaborative law process for any reason; (6) that the collaborative law process will terminate if any participating client initiates a proceeding or seeks court intervention in a pending proceeding related to the collaborative law matter after the clients have signed the collaborative law agreement; and (7) that the clients understand that their lawyers may not represent the clients or any other person before a court in a proceeding related to the collaborative law matter except as provided by court rule.

(c) Duty to Address Domestic Violence. A lawyer must reasonably inquire whether a client has a history of any coercive or violent relationship with another party in a family law matter before agreeing to represent a client in the collaborative law process and must make reasonable efforts to continue to assess whether a coercive or violent relationship exists between parties in a family law matter throughout the collaborative law process. A lawyer may not represent a client in the collaborative law process in a family law matter and must terminate the client-lawyer relationship in an existing collaborative law process in a family law matter if the lawyer reasonably believes that the lawyer’s client has a history of any coercive or violent relationship with another party in the matter unless: (1) the client requests to begin or continue the collaborative law process; and (2) the lawyer reasonably believes that the safety of the client can be protected during the collaborative law process.