The Evolution of Civil Collaborative Law

The alternative dispute resolution family has experienced a number of changes over the last century. Litigation, the great grandfather of modern day dispute resolution, has been the procedure chosen by the majority of people to resolve their problems for literally thousands of years-primarily because it was the only legal choice available to most parties. Litigation has been tweaked by lawmakers and courts, but it is basically conducted in the same manner that it was conducted before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The only other institutions that have survived with little change over the centuries are religions. Litigation may appear to have become just as important as religion for some lawyers, because it has allowed them to earn extraordinary income and exercise an enormous amount of control over their clients\u27 affairs; however, that situation is changing. The public has begun looking for alternative ways to achieve the resolution of disputes in order to give individuals and companies more control over the dispute resolution process as well as a greater voice in the final outcome of their disputes