The Emerging Phenomenon of Collaborative Family Law (CFL): A Qualitative Study of CFL Cases

APPENDIX C
EXIT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Completely describe the case outcomes.
To what extent did this case meet your initial expectations? What, if anything, turned out differently than you had expected?
What was the most difficult/challenging part of the process?
What were your most important lessons from this case?
How different is this outcome from a litigated one?
What did these clients gain by using CFL?
If you used other professionals (coaches, therapists) in this case, what were their roles and do you feel that you were able to benefit from their help?
What was the hardest part of this case for you?
Do you have any other issues or comments?

Now that your divorce is complete, describe your reaction to the collaborative lawyering process.
What advice would you give to someone using collaborative law?
In your own words, describe the type of relationship that you had with your lawyer. Have you ever litigated before and, if yes, how was this process different?
Do you feel that, in any way, collaborative lawyering has had an effect on your relationship with your ex-wife (ex-husband)?
Do you feel that, in any way, collaborative law has had an effect on your relationship with your children?
Describe the positive outcomes of collaborative law as they pertain to your specific situation.
What negative outcomes, if any, did you experience?
If you were able to make changes to the collaborative process, what would they be?
If you were using other professionals (coaches, therapists) during your divorce, what were their roles and do you feel that you were able to benefit from their help?
Do you have any other issues or comments?

What is your overall feeling about how well this file went? To what extent do you believe that your client and the other client achieved their goals?
Did the way in which this file unfolded meet your initial expectations? If not, what was different?
What was the most challenging part of this process for you and your client?
What do you see as the positive outcomes of collaborative law as they pertain to your client?
What negative outcomes if any, did you or your client experience? In hindsight, what, if anything, might you or the other professionals involved have done differently in this case?
What type of impact has the collaborative process had on the relationship between husband and wife in this case?
In your view has the collaborative process had an impact on the wider family relationships, especially those between your client and his or her children? If so, what is that impact?
How well did the relationship between yourself and your client's lawyer work? What, if any, problems (for example, boundary issues, differences of approach) did you experience?
If you were able to make changes to the collaborative process, what would they be?
If other collaborative professionals (such as child specialists and financial advisors) were involved on this file, what role did they play and do you feel that you/your client were able to benefit from their help?
Do you have any other issues or comments?