Respectful divorce by mutual agreement
More and more people decide to divorce. In 2009 alone, 62,000 divorces took place in the Netherlands (according to Statistics Netherlands). The way in which this happens is changing. The 'collaborative divorce' has made its entrance.
This intermediate form can be seen as an alternative to the classic way of divorce (contested divorce with the help of 2 lawyers) and mediation. In collaborative divorce, a variant that has come over from America, the parties do not fight each other out of the courtroom, but opt for business consultation at one table where the mutual lawyers form a team. The main thing is that the partners can arrange the termination of the marriage quickly and efficiently in good consultation. Solutions are worked towards together. The input of independent experts such as a financial planner, a psychologist or a coach is indispensable in this process. Lawyer Marjoleine de Boorder from Naarden and financial expert Geertje Tuinema from Overveen are pioneers in the field of collaborative divorce. They work together intensively. De Boorder is the driving force behind collaborative divorce in the Netherlands. "Last year we went to a conference in Ireland with a group of seven lawyers, colleagues who have earned their spurs in family law," she explains. “We were so enthusiastic that we immediately decided to put collaborative divorce on the map in the Netherlands.”
