Collabortive Professionals Honor Florida Legislators

Two hundred members of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals (“FACP”) gathered in Tampa to honor Florida legislators and others for their leadership in passing the Collaborative Law Process Act (“CLPA”).  The CLPA, among other things, protects the privacy of families going through divorce.  It creates a statutory privilege (like the attorney-client privilege) that, except under limited circumstances, ensures that what is said during a collaborative divorce process cannot be used against a spouse in court.

In 2016, Senator Tom Lee introduced the CLPA bill in the Florida Senate.  Representative Cyndi Stevenson, with the support of Representative Dana Young, introduced a version in Florida’s House of Representatives.  All three were given awards by Florida’s statewide collaborative organization for helping to protect Florida’s families via the CLPA.

Senator Lee discusses Collaborative Practice Act. pic.twitter.com/5GRza3qoIt

— FACP (@CollaborateFACP) May 20, 2016

Pictured, from left to right, are Senator Tom Lee, Cole Jeffries, Robert Merlin, Judge Laurel Lee, Representative Dana Young, and Representative Cyndi Stevenson.

Senator Tom Lee discussed how his wife, Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge Laurel Lee, was the person who really brought the collaborative law process to his attention.  Judge Lee was also honored by the FACP, and in her remarks she mentioned how she was first exposed to collaborative divorce by her role as a judge in Florida’s first pro bono collaborative divorce.  She thanked attorneys Adam B. Cordover and Joryn Jenkins for their work in helping the parties in that matter resolve all issues privately and respectfully and bringing the parties to her with a full agreement.

Picture of Judge, parties, and #collaborative team after #groundbreaking#Florida#collaborative#divorcepic.twitter.com/5t01WOp0zX — Family Diplomacy FL (@CordoverLaw) September 23, 2013

Pictured, from left to right, are George Melendez, Tyler Nelson, Adam B. Cordover, Judge Laurel Lee, Joryn Jenkins, Pamela Nelson, Jennifer Mockler, and Monica Ospina.

The collaborative divorce process is a unique form of private dispute resolution where the spouses each have attorneys, and the attorneys are only used for the purposes of reaching an out-of-court agreement.  No money, time, or energy is spent on opposition research or preparing for trial.  A specially-trained facilitator is generally utilized to help the parties focus on what is most important to them (e.g., their children) rather than the arguments of the past.  A neutral financial professional is oftentimes engaged to efficiently allow for financial transparency (think trust but verify) and offer personally-tailored solutions for family support and the division of property and debt.

The Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals is a statewide umbrella organization with a mission to promote the Collaborative Process throughout Florida to help its families, couples, individuals and businesses resolve disputes confidentially, respectfully, and without going to court.

If you have questions about how your family can peacefully and privately resolve your family dispute via the collaborative process, schedule a consultation with Adam B. Cordover at (813) 443-0615 or CLICK HERE to fill out our contact form.

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Adam B. Cordover is a Collaborative Attorney and trains other attorneys, mental health professionals, and financial professionals to practice in the Collaborative Process.  He is on the Board of Directors of the FACP, a former president of Next Generation Divorce, and a member of the Research Committee of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.