{"data":{"id":"us-al/ala.-code-6-6-26.04","jurisdiction":"us-al","citation":"Ala. Code § 6-6-26.04","heading":"Beginning and Concluding Collaborative Law Process.","body":"(a) A collaborative law process begins when the parties sign a collaborative law participation agreement.\n(b) A tribunal may not order a party to participate in a collaborative law process over that party’s objection.\n(c) A collaborative law process is concluded by a:\n(1) resolution of a collaborative matter as evidenced by a signed record;\n(2) resolution of a part of the collaborative matter, evidenced by a signed record, in which the parties agree that the remaining parts of the matter will not be resolved in the process; or\n(3) termination of the process.\n(d) A collaborative law process terminates:\n(1) when a party gives notice to other parties in a record that the process is ended;\n(2) when a party:\n(A) begins a proceeding related to a collaborative matter without the agreement of all parties; or\n(B) in a pending proceeding related to the matter:\n(i) initiates a pleading, motion, order to show cause, or request for a conference with the tribunal;\n(ii) requests that the proceeding be put on the tribunal’s active calendar; or\n(iii) takes similar action requiring notice to be sent to the parties; or\n(3) except as otherwise provided by subsection (g), when a party discharges a collaborative lawyer or a collaborative lawyer withdraws from further representation of a party.\n(e) A party’s collaborative lawyer shall give prompt notice to all other parties in a record of a discharge or withdrawal.\n(f) A party may terminate a collaborative law process with or without cause.\n(g) Notwithstanding the discharge or withdrawal of a collaborative lawyer, a collaborative law process continues, if not later than 30 days after the date that the notice of the discharge or withdrawal of a collaborative lawyer required by subsection (e) is sent to the parties:\n(1) the unrepresented party engages a successor collaborative lawyer; and\n(2) in a signed record:\n(A) the parties consent to continue the process by reaffirming the collaborative law participation agreement;\n(B) the agreement is amended to identify the successor collaborative lawyer; and\n(C) the successor collaborative lawyer confirms the lawyer’s representation of a party in the collaborative process.\n(h) A collaborative law process does not conclude if, with the consent of the parties, a party requests a tribunal to approve a resolution of the collaborative matter or any part thereof as evidenced by a signed record.\n(i) A collaborative law participation agreement may provide additional methods of concluding a collaborative law process.","path":["Title 6 Civil Practice.","Chapter 6 Remedies.","Article 1 Settlement of Controversies.","Division 4 Alabama Uniform Collaborative Law Act."],"source_url":"https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=6-6-26.04","current_through":"Act 2026-611","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-03T14:01:53Z","sha256":"afe7885de3dee154a20f93ab94954f7d9d591c88b6f62417198dcca20438b7b9","source_id":"us-al","stale":false,"prev":"us-al/ala.-code-6-6-26.03","next":"us-al/ala.-code-6-6-26.05"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}