You've heard of a messy divorce, but what about a positive one, that puts people first? A collaborative divorce is saving families in Lee County, one family at a time. "I wake up every morning and I'm eager to work," said Divorce Attorney Shelly Finman. But Finman doesn't go to court, he heads to the conference room in his office. "It's quite inspiring," he said. Finman practices only collaborative family law and he's the only lawyer in Lee County to devote his entire practice to the process. Collaborative law is a problem solving process, with no judgment and no judge. "We don't tell people what to do. They make all their decisions. As a matter of fact, we ask questions so everyone knows what their needs are and what direction they're going," said Finman. It was exactly what former client June Hollingshead was looking for, when she and her husband divorced in 2006. "I hadn't heard of going through this process but I had heard horror stories from girlfriends who had gone through divorce and through the courts and I knew I didn't want to do that," she said. Instead of feeling like another case lost in the system, a collaborative divorce provides a support system for the couple's needs...including counselors and business advisers. "I like to explain it in terms of taking the high road," said Hollingshead. And the attorneys are working together too. "In our process we try to make it so it's not intimidating so that everybody is at ease," said Finman. "I just can't imagine doing it any other way," said Hollingshead. If there is no resolution, the attorney's bow out and the couple can go to court. However, Lee County is working to adopt collaborative law as the preferred method of divorce because judges say it gives everyone a voice.

http://depository.shadowtv.net/media/286/2008/074/17/18325_286_20080314_175442_103.wmv