{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/20-180.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/20-180.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/20-180.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/20-180.html"}],"law_id":353624,"edition_id":2,"section_id":353624,"structure_id":50634,"section_number":"20-180","catch_line":"History of family abuse","history":"2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 346.","full_text":"A\n\nBefore a prospective party signs a collaborative law participation agreement, a prospective collaborative lawyer shall make reasonable inquiry into whether there exists a history of family abuse between the prospective parties.\n\nB\n\nThroughout a collaborative law process, a collaborative lawyer shall reasonably and continuously assess whether there exists a history of family abuse between the parties.\n\nC\n\nIf a collaborative lawyer reasonably believes that the party the lawyer represents or the prospective party who consults the lawyer has a history of family abuse with another party or prospective party, the lawyer shall not begin or continue a collaborative law process unless (i) the party or the prospective party requests beginning or continuing the process and (ii) the collaborative lawyer reasonably believes that the safety of the party or prospective party can be protected adequately during the process.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1317491,"text":"Before a prospective party signs a collaborative law participation agreement, a prospective collaborative lawyer shall make reasonable inquiry into whether there exists a history of family abuse between the prospective parties.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":1317492,"text":"Throughout a collaborative law process, a collaborative lawyer shall reasonably and continuously assess whether there exists a history of family abuse between the parties.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":1317493,"text":"If a collaborative lawyer reasonably believes that the party the lawyer represents or the prospective party who consults the lawyer has a history of family abuse with another party or prospective party, the lawyer shall not begin or continue a collaborative law process unless (i) the party or the prospective party requests beginning or continuing the process and (ii) the collaborative lawyer reasonably believes that the safety of the party or prospective party can be protected adequately during the process.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":50634,"edition_id":2,"name":"Uniform Collaborative Law Act","identifier":"11","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":13,"parent_id":50619,"metadata":{"child_laws":20,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:30:24","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:53","permalink":{"id":1405095,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50634,"identifier":"11","token":"20\/11","url":"\/20\/11\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50619,"edition_id":2,"name":"Domestic Relations","identifier":"20","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":56,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":329,"child_structures":36},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:30:08","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:49","permalink":{"id":1405077,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50619,"identifier":"20","token":"20","url":"\/20\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":353611,"structure_id":50634,"section_number":"20-168","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/20-168\/","token":"20\/11\/20-168","metadata":false},{"id":353612,"structure_id":50634,"section_number":"20-169","catch_line":"Applicability","url":"\/20-169\/","token":"20\/11\/20-169","metadata":false},{"id":353614,"structure_id":50634,"section_number":"20-170","catch_line":"Collaborative law participation agreement; 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A.<\/span> Before a prospective party<\/span> signs a collaborative law participation agreement<\/span>, a prospective collaborative lawyer<\/span> shall make reasonable inquiry into whether there exists a history of family abuse<\/span> between the prospective parties. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Throughout a collaborative law process<\/span>, a collaborative lawyer<\/span> shall reasonably and continuously assess whether there exists a history of family abuse<\/span> between the parties. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> If a collaborative lawyer<\/span> reasonably believes that the party the lawyer represents or the prospective party<\/span> who consults the lawyer has a history of family abuse<\/span> with another party or prospective party<\/span>, the lawyer shall not begin or continue a collaborative law process<\/span> unless (i) the party or the prospective party<\/span> requests beginning or continuing the process and (ii) the collaborative lawyer<\/span> reasonably believes that the safety of the party or prospective party<\/span> can be protected adequately during the process. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nHISTORY OF FAMILY ABUSE (\u00a7 20-180)\n\nA. Before a prospective party signs a collaborative law participation agreement,\na prospective collaborative lawyer shall make reasonable inquiry into whether\nthere exists a history of family abuse between the prospective parties.\n\nB. Throughout a collaborative law process, a collaborative lawyer shall\nreasonably and continuously assess whether there exists a history of family\nabuse between the parties.\n\nC. If a collaborative lawyer reasonably believes that the party the lawyer\nrepresents or the prospective party who consults the lawyer has a history of\nfamily abuse with another party or prospective party, the lawyer shall not begin\nor continue a collaborative law process unless (i) the party or the prospective\nparty requests beginning or continuing the process and (ii) the collaborative\nlawyer reasonably believes that the safety of the party or prospective party can\nbe protected adequately during the process.\n\nHISTORY: 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 346.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}