What is collaborative divorce in Florida, and how is it different from mediation?

Collaborative divorce is a private, voluntary process in which you and your spouse each retain your own specially trained attorney and sign an agreement to resolve every issue without going to court. In Florida it is governed by the Collaborative Law Process Act (Fla. Stat. $ 61.55–61.58), which took effect July 1, 2017. The key difference from mediation is representation: in mediation a single neutral facilitator guides the discussion but represents neither spouse, while in Collaborative divorce each spouse has their own attorney at the table advocating for them throughout. Both keep you out of a courtroom, but the Collaborative process gives each party dedicated counsel at every session, along with a team of neutral professionals when needed.