Collaborative Law practice originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where family law attorney Stuart Webb brought together a group of lawyers who agreed to take cases solely with the goal of settlement in mind.  This method has been used widely in the area of family law and is expanding into many areas of legal disputes, including business disputes, employment issues, probate cases, insurance cases, and construction disputes, among others. 

Lawyers trained in Collaborative Law strive to obtain mutually satisfactory settlements by utilizing allied professional like financial planners and psychologists to reach negotiated outcomes.  Parties and counsel agree to abide by self-selected rules of engagement during the process in order to decrease any animosity, and all involved parties pledge to use litigation only as a last resort.  Therefore, this approach can save parties emotional turmoil and financial hardship.

   Collaborative Law differs from mediation, though both result in negotiated agreements, because parties in mediation can elect to have separate counsel, and the mediator then oversees the negotiating process single-handedly; whereas, collaborative attorneys work together with the parties with a common goal of settlement in sight.