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D.C. Code § 16-4015

Coercive or violent relationship

Known as the Uniform Collaborative Law Act

The act spans §§ 16–16 (22 sections).

May 9, 2012, D.C

(a) Before a prospective party signs a collaborative law participation agreement, a prospective collaborative lawyer shall make reasonable inquiry whether the prospective party has a history of a coercive or violent relationship with another prospective party.

(b) Throughout a collaborative law process, a collaborative lawyer reasonably and continuously shall assess whether the party the collaborative lawyer represents has a history of a coercive or violent relationship with another party.

(c) If a collaborative lawyer reasonably believes that the party the lawyer represents or the prospective party who consults the lawyer has a history of a coercive or violent relationship with another party or prospective party, the lawyer may not begin or continue a collaborative law process unless:

(1) The party or the prospective party requests beginning or continuing the process; and

(2) The collaborative lawyer reasonably believes that the safety of the party or prospective party can be protected adequately during the process.

Official source: D.C. Law Library (Council of the District of Columbia). Reproduced from public-domain District of Columbia statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.