Mediated and collaborative law divorces are the wave of the future. I attended two events last week for lawyers, psychologists and financial planners who work to assist women and men who have decided to end their marriages or partnerships to do so without the traumas that a litigated divorce engenders.

The first was sponsored by Collaborative Divorce Solution of Orange County, www.cdsoc.com who offer to “provide you with a team of uniquely trained professionals. The team consists of non-adversarial lawyers, divorce coaches, a financial consultant and (if there are children) a child specialist who will assist you in your negotiated divorce settlement. The team will help you make well informed decisions as you go through the collaborative process and complete your divorce.

The second was a roundtable luncheon for South Coast Collaborative Professionals, a quarterly series organized by attorney and mediator Terri Breer who also does collaborative divorce. www.southcoastcollaborativeprofessionals.com .

Mediation differs from collaborative divorce in that the couple engages outside professionals, such as financial advisors or parenting plan advisors, or consulting for legal advice, as needed, rather than engaging a team at the start.

Which process is better depends on the individual preferences of the couple entering into a non-litigated divorce. Either is far superior to the litigation process, and both can be completed in far less time that a litigated court process — currently averaging two years in Orange County.