{"data":{"id":"us-fl/fla.-stat.-61.57","jurisdiction":"us-fl","citation":"Fla. Stat. § 61.57","heading":"Beginning, concluding, and terminating a collaborative law process.","body":"(1) The collaborative law process begins, regardless of whether a legal proceeding is pending, when the parties enter into a collaborative law participation agreement.\n(2) A tribunal may not order a party to participate in a collaborative law process over that party’s objection.\n(3) A collaborative law process is concluded by any of the following:\n(a) Resolution of a collaborative matter as evidenced by a signed record;\n(b) Resolution of a part of the collaborative matter, evidenced by a signed record, in which the parties agree that the remaining parts of the collaborative matter will not be resolved in the collaborative law process; or\n(c) Termination of the collaborative law process.\n(4) A collaborative law process terminates when a party:\n(a) Gives notice to the other parties in a record that the collaborative law process is concluded;\n(b) Begins a proceeding related to a collaborative matter without the consent of all parties;\n(c) Initiates a pleading, a motion, an order to show cause, or a request for a conference with a tribunal in a pending proceeding related to a collaborative matter;\n(d) Requests that the proceeding be put on the tribunal’s active calendar in a pending proceeding related to a collaborative matter;\n(e) Takes similar action requiring notice to be sent to the parties in a pending proceeding related to a collaborative matter; or\n(f) Discharges a collaborative attorney or a collaborative attorney withdraws from further representation of a party, except as otherwise provided in subsection (7).\n(5) A party’s collaborative attorney shall give prompt notice to all other parties in a record of a discharge or withdrawal.\n(6) A party may terminate a collaborative law process with or without cause.\n(7) Notwithstanding the discharge or withdrawal of a collaborative attorney, the collaborative law process continues if, not later than 30 days after the date that the notice of the discharge or withdrawal of a collaborative attorney required by subsection (5) is sent to the parties:\n(a) The unrepresented party engages a successor collaborative attorney;\n(b) The parties consent to continue the collaborative law process by reaffirming the collaborative law participation agreement in a signed record;\n(c) The collaborative law participation agreement is amended to identify the successor collaborative attorney in a signed record; and\n(d) The successor collaborative attorney confirms his or her representation of a party in the collaborative law participation agreement in a signed record.\n(8) A collaborative law process does not conclude if, with the consent of the parties, a party requests a tribunal to approve a resolution of a collaborative matter or any part thereof as evidenced by a signed record.\n(9) A collaborative law participation agreement may provide additional methods for concluding a collaborative law process.\nHistory.—s. 6, ch. 2016-93.","path":["CHAPTER 61 DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE; SUPPORT; TIME-SHARING"],"source_url":"https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute\u0026URL=0000-0099/0061/0061.html","current_through":"2026 Florida Statutes","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T01:57:57Z","sha256":"f60fdfe3e34d8f087e2ab6e2e6cde27e9a631a610b3026539b7c9656694624f5","source_id":"us-fl","stale":false,"prev":"us-fl/fla.-stat.-61.56","next":"us-fl/fla.-stat.-61.58"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}