Gov. Cooper signs Uniform Collaborative Law Act into law
By Nicole B. Slaughter
Attorney at Law
I am very happy to report that Governor Cooper signed into law yesterday the Uniform Collaborative Law Act. Collaborative law is an alternative dispute resolution method that allows parties and their attorneys to work together, within a predetermined framework, to privately resolve disputes without the significant expense of protracted litigation. This process works well when there are ongoing relationships between the parties that need to be preserved and is an alternative to scorched earth, costly litigation. Collaborative law has been successfully practiced in the family law arena for several years and is practiced in numerous states and countries. This new law allows civil law practitioners in North Carolina to use collaborative law as a dispute resolution option in civil cases, other than family law cases, and provides uniformity with respect to how it is used.
Given the current backlog of cases in our court system due to the ongoing pandemic, collaborative law may well emerge as a timely and effective method to resolve some of these civil cases or resolve new cases before they enter the system.
If you are interested in learning about collaborative law and whether this dispute resolution option may be right for you, please visit the N.C. Civil Collaborative Law Association website or contact me at the office of Hamlet Law, PLLC, at 910-777-5995 or by email to nslaughter@hamletandassociates.com.