A Collaborative lawyer has been specifically trained in the Collaborative process and mediation and agrees to not represent their client in court in a contested matter against their spouse by limiting the scope of their work to only out-of-court. A good Collaborative lawyer understands that even after divorce, people with children are still a family, but in a different configuration.  They work to create win-win outcomes for their client and spouse so they can move forward with a good co-parenting relationship.