Collaborative Law is an alternative dispute resolution process that is specific to divorce and family law with the goal of making the divorce and/or child custody process less adversarial and more agreeable. In it, the particpants work with lawyers, accountants, and counselors who have been specially trained in the collaborative process. The process is more like mediation than litigation, with the goal of reaching an agreement without having to go to court. If an agreement can't be reached, the parties have to find new representation, as the professionals involved in the collaborative process are disqulified from any future family law related litigation for either party.
Collaborative law first started in Minnesota, and spread rapidly to the rest of the U.S. as well as several other countries. There is a Uniform Collaborative Law Act drafted by the Uniform Law Commission that has been enacted by 23 states. Louisiana is not one of them, but Texas and Alabama have enacted the uniform act.