{"data":{"id":"us-va/va.-code-20-179","jurisdiction":"us-va","citation":"Va. Code § 20-179","heading":"Appropriateness of collaborative law process","body":"Before a prospective party signs a collaborative law participation agreement, a prospective collaborative lawyer shall:1. Assess with the prospective party factors the lawyer reasonably believes relate to whether a collaborative law process is appropriate for the prospective party's matter;2. Provide the prospective party with information that the lawyer reasonably believes is sufficient for the party to make an informed decision about the material benefits and risks of a collaborative law process as compared to the material benefits and risks of other reasonably available alternatives for resolving the proposed collaborative matter, such as litigation, mediation, arbitration, or expert evaluation; and3. Advise the prospective party that:a. After signing a collaborative law participation agreement, if a party initiates a proceeding or seeks tribunal intervention in a pending proceeding related to the collaborative matter, the collaborative law process terminates;b. Participation in a collaborative law process is voluntary, and any party has the right to unilaterally terminate a collaborative law process with or without cause; andc. The collaborative lawyer and any lawyer in a law firm with which the collaborative lawyer is associated may not appear before a tribunal to represent a party in a proceeding related to the collaborative matter, except as authorized by subsection C of § 20-175 or by § 20-176.2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 346.","path":["Title 20. Domestic Relations","Chapter 11. Uniform Collaborative Law Act"],"source_url":"https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/20-179/","current_through":"9/4/2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-04T15:14:44Z","sha256":"11f04a4b6a2f8ee0b7f7ab6a3e61c9528257c516571f938f33c3807e393ea63b","source_id":"us-va","stale":true,"prev":"us-va/va.-code-20-178","next":"us-va/va.-code-20-180"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}