Collaborative Divorce and Family Law continues to evolve around the world. As practitioners, we rely on evidence to refine how we work together — whether in divorce, parenting matters, or prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. A recent analysis of survey data conducted by Adam B. Cordover, managing attorney at Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm, and Dr. Randy Heller, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Couple and Family Therapy of Nova Southeastern University and Collaborative Facilitator/Family Specialist . and owner of The Family Network, reviewed a decade of data gathered by the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals (“FACP”). This analysis provided compelling empirical support for the emerging trends regarding the effectiveness of the Collaborative Divorce process in general and an interdisciplinary approach in particular. The results of the analysis was first published in the Florida Bar Family Law Section’s Commentator Magazine, Volume XLV, Issue 1, 2025. (Note to Editor – This link currently goes to the Florida Bar Family Law Section website, but IACP would be much better off publishing the original article on its website and linking to it, which it has permission to do so long as it cites the authors and links to their websites, and states that it was originally published in the Florida Bar Family Law Section’s Commentator Magazine, Volume XLV, Issue 1, 2025).

This blog highlights key research findings, what they mean for practitioners, and how we can apply them across cultures and systems.

• The vast majority of Collaborative Divorce cases (85%) reached a full Resolution.
• Neutral interdisciplinary team members remain central to success.
• Speed and resolution patterns align with prior International Academy of Collaborative Professionals research.

Between 2014 and 2024, at the conclusion of a Collaborative matter, Collaborative Professional Teams throughout the state completed a survey identifying their experience of the matters in which they engaged. Survey participants were asked pointed questions about the substance of the matter, demographic information of the clients, and the clients’ relationships to each other and their professional team. The Florida survey was adapted from a previous survey crafted by the IACP Research Committee. Here are the major findings:

• About 85 percent of cases ended in a full agreement, avoiding court entirely. This outcome closely aligns with earlier IACP research that found an 86 percent resolution rate for Collaborative cases, reinforcing consistency across decades and jurisdictions (Note to Editor – I can no longer find the 2010 Research, Summaries, or Collaborative Review Articles on the IACP website, but it would be helpful if this article linked to those materials so practitioners can dive deeper).
• 60 percent of matters resolved within six months, underscoring how efficient, focused interdisciplinary teamwork and client-centered processes can shorten timelines compared to adversarial paths.
• Neutral Financial Professionals participated in 92 percent of cases, demonstrating that early, facilitated financial analysis remains a critical success factor.
• 84 percent involved Neutral Collaborative Facilitators (the term that Florida uses for the role of “Coach” or “Neutral Mental Health Professional”), highlighting the benefit for clients on receiving co-parenting, relational, emotional, and communication support.
• 63% of all-in costs fell between $20,000 – $75,000 (including Collaborative Attorneys, Facilitator, and Financial Neutral), demonstrating the need for professionals to provide realistic expectations for clients on costs.

This survey data emerged from front-line practitioners’ case closures, and typically collected during a final professional team debrief, making them especially relevant to how we, as professionals, conduct and conclude Collaborative matters as well as learn from our process.

The high and significant involvement of both Neutral Financial Professionals and Neutral Facilitators reinforces the architecture of Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice. Not only do these roles appear to reduce conflict; they allow each professional to bring their discipline-specific expertise to the arena, as they enhance client understanding and decision-making.

For teams seeking to strengthen their practice, this analysis offers quantitative support for training investments in facilitation skills and financial clarity work.

The Florida findings reflect trends observed in past international research. IACP’s own research from 2010 showed similar resolution rates when divorcing parties engaged in the Collaborative Process.

This continuity of outcomes — over time and across regions — helps us advocate more confidently for Collaborative options with other professionals and with systems that may be unfamiliar with the practice.

The fact that a majority of cases closed within six months suggests that Collaborative cases, when well-managed, may outperform typical litigated timelines. Although practice environments vary internationally, this information can:

• Guide Teams to work more efficiently and responsibly,
• assist teams in setting realistic expectations for clients,
• support benchmarks for process improvement, and
• help legal professionals to frame and legitimize Collaborative Practice to courts, lawmakers, agencies, and other decision-making or referral sources.

Here are actionable ideas from the analysis that you can consider integrating into your practice today:

1. Track your own outcomes. Whether you are a lawyer, financial professional, or mental health practitioner, systematic data collection about case resolution, timeline, and cost helps refine your approach and illustrates value to skeptics. Local Collaborative Practice Groups or statewide/provincewide organizations, or national entities can serve as a repository of data collection, similar to how the FACP has served in Florida. It also provides you with data to offer prospective clients.

2. Strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration. Lawyers are urged to build relationships with mental health professionals and financial professionals in their communities and inform clients about the value that they add. That value can include a speedier resolution to relationally and emotionally challenging and financially fraught discussions.

3. Share your successes. Publishing data-driven insights, whether through IACP channels or local collaborative networks, helps build collective credibility for Collaborative Practice around the world. Lawmakers, judges, and other professionals ought to know that, though we can’t promise anything, when clients choose the Collaborative Process, they are highly likely to complete it with a full resolution. As mentioned earlier, we found an 85% success rate in Florida. That’s a big deal!

These statistics will be useful when informing potential clients, fellow professionals, and decision makers about the Collaborative Process. And, if you are gathering statistics in your practice or community, we would love to hear the results. Were your statistics similar to those in the recent Florida study and the 2010 IACP study? What did you find most interesting?

And if your community is interested in learning more about these statistics and would like to have a speaker on the topic, feel free to reach out to us.

Adam B. Cordover is a Florida Collaborative Lawyer and trainer with offices in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota. He is co-author with Forrest S. Mosten of an American Bar Association book on Building A Successful Collaborative Family Law Practice. He is a former member of the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and Former Chair of the IACP Research Committee as well as Former Chair of the IACP Ethics & Standards Committee. Adam is a former president of the Next Generation Divorce practice group and was honored to receive the inaugural Visionary Award of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals for creating and co-instructing the FACP’s inaugural Leadership Institute.

Dr. Randy Heller is a Collaborative Facilitator/Coach who is licensed in Florida, New York, and Connecticut. She is a member of the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the Board of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals, and co-founder of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals’ Research Committee. Dr. Heller has researched and published her doctoral dissertation on Competency and the Role of the Mental Health Professional in Collaborative Family Law. She has presented on this topic both statewide, nationally, and internationally, and has also published several book chapters and articles on this topic. Dr. Heller has also served as a Board member of the FACP, is past President of the Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida, and a member of the Collaborative Family Law Institute and the Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida.