Charleston Cooperative Family Law Association

Charleston Cooperative Family Law Association is a family law firm in Charleston, SC, located at 102 Broad St Suite C. It is a non-profit network of family law attorneys, financial professionals, and mental health experts who help families resolve disputes without litigation. Members focus primarily on Family Court cases and are trained in cooperative or collaborative methods. Financial and mental health experts serve as neutral advisors, helping clients understand assets, parenting challenges, and emotional impacts. The association connects clients with attorneys, mediators, and neutral experts in Charleston and the surrounding areas, and its members handle separation, custody, and financial matters.

Cooperative law is a method of resolving family court cases without a judge deciding the issues. It rests on cooperation: lawyers and clients on opposite sides commit in writing to meaningful communication, voluntary sharing of information, civility, and good faith, so disputes can be resolved more quickly, less expensively, and more satisfactorily than through litigation. Collaborative law also gathers a team of attorneys, accountants, and therapists to resolve a case without contested litigation. The two differ mainly in what happens if negotiations break down: in Collaborative law, the lawyer who attempts resolution cannot file contested litigation, so a failed negotiation means starting over with a new attorney. The association holds that a Cooperative process provides the same commitment to amicable resolution without that penalty.

Members remain zealous advocates for their clients. The association notes that litigation demands time, money, and emotion many people cannot afford, and that refusing settlement offers within a range of reasonableness is counterproductive. Attorneys charge a retainer and an hourly rate, and any member can estimate total fees and costs at an initial meeting, where both Cooperative law and the traditional approach are explored. Mediation, by contrast, is a settlement conference facilitated by a neutral and is mandatory in all SC counties.

The association is a Charleston-based organization committed to professional integrity, education, and compassionate advocacy. For Charleston families facing separation, custody, or financial disputes, it offers a path built on cooperation rather than courtroom conflict.

Services:

• Continuing Legal Education
• Cooperative Law in Practice
• Cooperative Legal Process
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