What are the lawyers’ roles in collaborative divorce?

Lawyers are basically the navigators in collaborative divorce; we try to help navigate people through the divorce process. The clients are in charge of the process, because they’re the ones who have to decide what they wish to do with guidance from the attorneys. To use an example of an airplane: the attorneys are the co-pilots, but the passengers are the ones who tell us where they want to go, and we hope to take them there safely.

Founding partner of McGaughey & Spirito in Redondo Beach, California, Joe Spirito has been practicing family law since 1982 and is currently serving as secretary of the Los Angeles County Bar’s Family Law Section.