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<section article="gcj" article_name="Courts and Judicial Proceedings" number="3-2003" title_number="3" title_name="Courts of General Jurisdiction -- Jurisdiction/special Causes of Action" subtitle_number="20" subtitle_name="Maryland Uniform Collaborative Law Act">
  <level label="a">
    <text>A collaborative law process begins when the parties sign a collaborative law participation agreement.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>A tribunal may not order a party to participate in a collaborative law process over that party’s objection.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>A collaborative law process is concluded by:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>A resolution of a collaborative matter as evidenced by a signed record;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A resolution of a part of the collaborative matter, evidenced by a signed record, in which the parties agree that the remaining parts of the matter will not be resolved in the process; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>A termination of the process.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>A collaborative law process terminates:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>When a party gives notice to other parties in a record that the process is ended;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>When a party:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Begins a proceeding related to a collaborative matter without the agreement of all parties; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>In a pending proceeding related to the matter:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Initiates a pleading, a motion, an order to show cause, or a request for a conference with the tribunal;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Requests that the proceeding be put on the tribunal’s calendar; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>Takes similar action requiring notice to be sent to the parties; or</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Except as otherwise provided in subsection (g) of this section, when a party discharges a collaborative lawyer or a collaborative lawyer withdraws from further representation of a party.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>A party’s collaborative lawyer shall give prompt notice to all other parties in a record of a discharge or withdrawal.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>A party may terminate a collaborative law process with or without cause.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>Notwithstanding the discharge or withdrawal of a collaborative lawyer, a collaborative law process continues if, within 30 days after the date that the notice of discharge or withdrawal of a collaborative lawyer required by subsection (e) of this section is sent to the parties:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The unrepresented party engages a successor collaborative lawyer; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>In a signed record:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The parties consent to continue the process by reaffirming the collaborative law participation agreement;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The agreement is amended to identify the successor collaborative lawyer; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The successor collaborative lawyer confirms the lawyer’s representation of a party in the collaborative process.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>A collaborative law process does not conclude if, with the consent of the parties, a party requests a tribunal to approve a resolution of the collaborative matter or any part of the collaborative matter as evidenced by a signed record.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>A collaborative law participation agreement may provide additional methods of concluding a collaborative law process.</text>
  </level>
</section>
