Collaborative law is a process that allows divorcing parties to focus all of their efforts and resources on settlement of their divorces, rather than on preparing for trial. To obtain a divorce through collaborative law, both parties retain lawyers who have been trained in the collaborative law process. Next, the lawyers and the divorcing couple enter into a participation agreement, which sets out the framework for a collaborative family law case. The agreement includes a pledge to concentrate all efforts towards settlement of the case. This commitment is reinforced by a revolutionary promise: if the process fails to yield a settlement, both lawyers will withdraw from representation of the parties, and will not participate in any litigation. The parties share information and together fashion settlement agreements and plans for the care and support of their children. Since the parties are directly involved, they have a much greater hand in the final product, helping tailor a settlement that truly fits the needs of that particular family. Since most cases are resolved without a trial, and since most people going through divorce would prefer to have their cases settled as efficiently and economically as possible, collaborative family law opens new opportunities for reasonable and dignified divorce settlements.