Sliding Scale Fee Program

The Sliding Scale Fee Program offers a reduced hourly fee for families that qualify and are accepted into the program.

The program is designed to help couples who are not in high conflict and are able to cooperate, through a voluntary collaborative divorce process, to reach mutual agreements and decisions outside of a court process.  The collaborative divorce process involves working with professionals in joint meetings involving both spouses.

To apply to the Sliding Scale Fee Program, please complete the Sliding Scale Fee Intake Form (see below). We expect to contact you within approximately 3-5 business days with further information to move forward with your application.

General Program Acceptance Process:

Families meeting the initial need requirements, based on the combined income of both spouses, will be scheduled for a 20-30 minute no-cost initial conference call with one of our volunteer committee members. Both spouses are requested to attend the call. The purpose of this call is to reach a fuller understanding of your specific situation and to obtain necessary information to determine qualification for the program. Qualification will be based on an evaluation of combined income, assets, debts, and possible significant extenuating circumstances.

After your call, the Sliding Scale Fee Committee will meet to discuss your situation and to make a decision regarding your acceptance into the program. You can expect to be contacted with a decision within 3-5 business days after your initial call.

Families accepted into our program will be assigned collaborative divorce attorneys, each to represent one spouse in the process. Qualifying clients will also be assigned a neutral financial professional to work with them jointly on equitable financial options. A neutral family specialist and/or child specialist will be assigned to work jointly with both spouses on a child-centered parenting plan. The parenting plan work may be child-inclusive if parents agree.

PLEASE NOTE:
If you have a court date, this option is not for you. Unfortunately, we do not offer one party support through this program, nor are we able to work with couples with already established court involvement. If you are looking for low/no cost representation in these situations, we recommend you contact the following resource:
Volunteer Lawyers Network of MN https://www.vlnmn.org/

If you have any questions, please email us at
SlidingScaleFees@collaborativelaw.org