We’re thrilled to be the featured start-up in Business London Magazine September 2016 edition with the cover caption “Taking The Sting Out of Divorce.” The writer summed up the business offering perfectly as follows: “Defusing Divorce. A unique structured service aims to make parting less painful, less confrontational, and less expensive.”
The article reads:
Divorce can be an expensive and acrimonious process, often leaving both spouses depleted emotionally as well as financially.
But Elizabeth Goldenberg does not believe it has to be that way. With over 23 years of experience practising family law, she has often thought there must be a kinder and more practical way to reach a separation agreement.
In addition, over the past few years Goldenberg has has noted an alarming increase in the number of spouses, either one or both, representing themselves in family court.
“Separation is not a do-it-yourself project,” she says. “There is great value in consulting a lawyer who brings a tremendous amount of expertise and focus to the table.”
To address these concerns, Goldenberg opened The New Family Law Center last year to provide separating couples with a more affordable and positive option.
As an alternative to the traditional adversarial system, Goldenberg describes her process as “a coordinated route to an amicable solution.” It offers assurances that cases will be resolved in 16 weeks or less, and that all legal fees will be covered by one flat fee – currently $5,000 per person, which Goldenberg figures is less than half the cost of traditional legal representation. The firm also provides a complimentary wellness and stress reduction program, developed by a psychologist and delivered online every two weeks during the 16-week process.
There is, however, one catch: both spouses must agree to use The New Family Law Center, otherwise the process doesn’t work. Each will be assigned his or her own lawyer, and both lawyers will have agreed to a code of conduct that includes a commitment to follow Goldenberg’s three-step procedure, to complete work within the set timelines, to keep their clients informed and to conduct all matters with a tone of civility.
“Both lawyers will be prompt, cordial and productive, and both spouses will emerge financially and emotionally intact,” she says.
Within the 16 weeks, both parties and their lawyers will attend a half-day evaluative assessment meeting with a third-party lawyer. “The necessary documentation will be completed and each person will know exactly where they stand and what the options are,” says Goldenberg. The goal is to come to some decisions, and to be able to draft a separation agreement. So far, 98% of cases have been resolved after that first meeting.
“At that point, the role of The New Family Law Center has been concluded,” says Goldenberg. “Within two weeks, everything that has been agreed to is documented in a separation agreement, which can be used for an uncontested divorce. In the worst case, there may be one remaining issue or sticking point, and the parties are welcome to continue working with the same lawyer but will have to move to the traditional family law system.”
Goldenberg does not represent clients as part of the firm’s services because she feels that would be a conflict of interest. She tapped into her network to identify lawyers that she felt would be a good fit for the process, and now has five independent lawyers that she contracts to work with clients. They are willing to work for a set fee, knowing it will be a reasonable process and completed within a set timeline. Goldenberg coordinates the process and follows up to ensure steps are completed within the agreed upon timeframe.
Now that she has seen the initial success of the concept in London, Goldenberg has plans to expand into additional centres such as Barrie, Hamilton, Toronto and Peterborough. She will coordinate all of the services herself, and would like to establish offices in co-working space in each city, as she has done locally at Kowork London on Talbot Street. “They are usually ground level, so they are very visible and approachable, and they are very vibrant spaces. And I want to keep costs low so that people can access good legal representation without having to pay for expensive space.” KYM WOLFE
Many thanks to Gord Delamont for the coverage and for welcoming my New Family Law Center to London’s business community. Freelance writer Kym Wolfe and photographer Steve Martin were excellent to work with.
To read the Business London magazine article online, click here. If you or someone you know is separating, I would be honored to look after them.
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