Collaborating, each with their own attorney, Katie and Tom managed to cone to terms and avoid unnecessary stress on themselves and their daughter Suri. Photo: ©shutterstock
Congratulations, Tom and Katie!
Katie Holmes collaborative law divorce sets another example of celebrity “Alternative Dispute Resolution.”
While litigating a case is the traditional way of resolving a dispute, Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) is exactly that – an alternative to litigation. ADR can take many forms, including Collaborative Law (where both parties hire their own counsel and commit to an out-of-court settlement) and Mediation (where a neutral mediator helps the parties reach an agreement). Tom and Katie reached their out-of-court agreement by ongoing negotiations through their lawyers.
There are many benefits to Collaborative Law, Mediation, and other forms of ADR. Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise identified two of them in their joint statement. In that statement, they said:
“We are committed to working together as parents to accomplishing what is in our daughter Suri’s best interests,” and “We want to keep matters affecting our family private…”
By settling their divorce case, Tom and Katie saved Suri, and themselves; pain, publicity and expense while maintaining complete control of the process and outcome.
- Avoided the painful, emotional repercussions of a custody battle.
- Preserved their privacy; if they hadn’t settled, their battle would have been fought in a public courtroom.
- Settled their case on their terms, much more desirable than having someone in a black robe decide their family’s fate.
- While it may not matter as much to Katie and Tom as it does to the rest of us, reaching a settlement is almost always a lot less expensive than paying lawyers to duke it out in court.
Katie Holmes stops at 'Le Pain Quotidien' bakery in Beverly Hills, CA., with daughter Suri Cruise. The two ladies pick up some pastries and coffee to go!
Katie Holmes collaborative law divorce has make the best out of an unfortunate situation, even in the context of a divorce, congratulations are indeed in order.
