The Advocates Network is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization of independent professionals supporting the principles of collaborative law.

        The Advocates Network is multidisciplinary.  Participation is open to attorneys, clinicians and others interested in collaborative dispute resolution.

• The Advocates Network is multi-jurisdictional - it does not focus on matters that are specific to any particular jurisdiction.
• Participation in the Advocates Network is without charge.  There is no initiation fee and there are no dues.  (How the Advocates Network supports itself is covered elsewhere in these pages.)
• The Advocates Network does not influence or limit the independent professional judgment of its members in any way.

The Mission of the Advocates Network

1. To educate and promote the principles of collaborative family law
• AdNet supports and maintains a public information web site - www.eclipsedivorce.org - intended as a "user friendly" resource for public information.
• AdNet maintains a national toll-free telephone number 1-877-ADVOCATES (1-877-238-6228) as a public education resource.
• AdNet has produced a number of 30 second public education announcements to introduce the public to the benefits of collaborative family law.
2. To assist its members in the delivery of collaborative family law services.
• AdNet provides the Eclipse^®  Collaborative Practice System.  The Eclipse^®  CPS is explained elsewhere in these pages.
• AdNet maintains an edited "best practices" section allowing its members to educate themselves and each other by sharing the experiences and information upon which a successful collaborative practice is built.
• AdNet gathers and analyzes statistical and other information to assist its members in understanding how the public relates to collaborative services and how different segments of the public differ from one another.
  

     Why AdNet isn't a practice group
        There is a saying that the three most important works in Real Estate are "location, location and location."  The point is that while we are looking for a house we may check a wide area, we may even view the town from the air, but when it comes down to choosing, we must focus on one specific house in one specific location.  The collaborative law movement is nationwide and many of the important points that drive it forward apply around the whole of North America.  But when it comes down to choosing what is best for you, the decision is always local.  Practice groups are local groups.  The members of a practice group share common law and practice.  They are able to work together - each putting the personal best interst of his or her client first within the larger context that the divorce is about the future of each spouse, not one defeating or imposing judgment on the other.  When it comes to divorce, our individual lives are 'local' and we are best served by those who understand that.