Advanced Training: Get More Collaborative Cases!

Are you an attorney, mental health professional, financial professional, or mediator who wants to build a profitable and satisfying collaborative practice?  Do you want more collaborative cases? Next Generation Divorce has a training geared to you:

Woody Mosten is Coming to Tampa February 27-28, 2015.  Click Here To Learn More

Forrest “Woody” Mosten has an international reputation for high quality Mediation and Collaborative training from introductory courses to advanced supervision for highly experienced peacemakers. He maintains an intense focus on cutting edge issues in law and the craft of conflict resolution skill building, and enjoys helping other professionals build their own profitable practices.

Woody Mosten’s Training is an Approved Continuing Education Provider by the California State Bar CLE & Family Law Specialization, the California Psychological Association Accrediting Agency, and the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Most courses are approved by the Association for Conflict Resolution and may qualify for credit by other agencies and organizations throughout the world.

Woody offers mediation and dispute resolution training for many non-profit organizations such as the Hopi Indian Tribe, Schools and Colleges, Courts, and Governmental Agencies.

Woody Mosten is Coming to Tampa February 27-28, 2015.  Click Here To Learn More

Woody will be co-presenting with NGD’s Joryn Jenkins, a Tampa Collaborative Attorney and author of War or Peace: Avoid the Destruction of Divorce Court.

Here are some things that past participants have said about Woody’s training, “Building a Profitable and Satisfactory Collaborative Divorce and Mediation Practice (How to Get More Cases):”

Little did I know that being with Woody in his practice building seminar was going to be transformational for me and many others who attended. I have talked about not litigating for a few years, but I kept taking new litigated cases as well as Collaborative cases and preparing prenuptial agreements. We won’t go into why I kept litigating, but it was NOT because I had to. At the end of Woody’s training, I knew there was only one choice for me. When Woody asked the attendees what they were going to do differently the day after the training, I announced to everyone that I decided that I was not going to take any new litigated cases. Period. Decision made, cold turkey! Yesterday morning, a person who consulted with me last year called my office to retain me with a fairly large cash retainer. I instructed my assistant to inform the potential new client that I would not represent her because I assumed that her case was going to be litigated. After thinking about it for a little while, I had my assistant call the client back and inform her that I would consult with her and that I would represent her if she and her husband agreed to handle their divorce Collaboratively, I could be available to her as a consultant during her litigation or I could be available if she litigated and then decided to go Collaborative. I am finally going to walk the walk. Even in the face of cash on the table. It is the only thing that makes sense to me. Thank you, Woody, for making it possible for me to clearly see the professional and personal direction in which I should go in the future. I hope those reading this make the same life-changing choice.

(Excerpt from a Post on Yahoo Collaborative Collaborative Law Listserve, April 10, 2014)

Robert J. Merlin, Family Attorney
Coral Gables, FL
www.MerlinLaw.com

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I am blessed to be part of Woody’s training. He validated my interdisciplinary co-mediation style and out of the box approach to helping families through divorce.

Elizabeth Stabinski, Therapist and Mediator
Davie, FL
www.maritaltransition.com

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Although my first Collaborative training was 8 years ago, after Woody’s seminar, I now have action tasks to help me grow my practice by bettering me for my clients.

Jennifer R. Failla, Financial Neutral
Austin, TX
www.planningthrudivorce.com

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I wanted to tell what Woody and his teachings have meant to me both personally and professionally.

I think that Woody may be a tad oblivious to the profound impact that he can have on others, akin to a farmer may not be aware of what happens to all the seeds he scatters to the four winds. This note is to make sure that my colleagues in collaborative practice and mediation appreciate how he is making things happen in a good way out beyond even Woody’s horizons where those seeds drop.

Woody gave a workshop in 2009 I think entitled “Making Peacemaking Your Day Job”. It was a day long and full of ways to stay focused, keep motivated to develop and push peacemaking work, and of course to make it profitable. Profitable or not, if a practice isn’t rewarding and fun it will not flourish, so right at the end Woody had a short exercise where he challenged us to write down the things that we would change to make our practice better. It was late and I was a bit exhausted from taking in so much great stuff during the day.

In a bit of a daze, I dutifully wrote down three things. Then Woody said for us to cross out two of those things, leaving the single best thing that we could do to make our practice better. Then he asked us to turn over the paper and said simply “So, what are you doing Monday?”

At the time I was angry at Woody, and at myself for having walked right into his trap … because I had written “Stop taking litigation clients”. Angry because I knew that to not do what I had been so deftly forced to name would be a betrayal – of myself and my true journey. In that state of weakened resistance, my soul had grabbed the pen to really name what I needed.

I could not be happier with the results. As a lawyer/mediator I tell clients up-front (and in writing in my retainer agreements) that I will do anything for and with them except litigate. Everything on the unbundled menu is available – except court. I will advise, support in negotiations of all stripe, mediate, provide ILA for those mediating with another mediator, work directly with whoever shows up for the other spouse, and of course be part of a Collaborative team working for resolution. Across the five years since I have not wanted for work, and only 2 times have I had to hand off clients to litigation lawyers – and frankly each of those times I was glad to be released! And I am regularly told by people around me that I exude happiness – and certainly internally I rarely lose touch with a state of extreme gratitude.

And that gratitude extends to Woody’s part in my journey – I thank him sincerely for helping me take that leap! I know some days it may feel like he’s been doing what he does for a zillion years and to “keep on keepin’ on” may not be worth the fuss. Please know, from the bottom of the heart of this happy seedling out beyond Woody’s horizon, that it really is worth it!

Christopher Arnold, Collaborative Family Law Lawyer and Mediator
Ottawa, Ontario
www.christopherarnold.ca

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My head was spinning after spending a day and a half with Woody Mosten in Coral Gables, Florida, learning new ideas and new ways of looking at my self and the way I practice and recognizing I have so many tools in my toolbox I can use to serve my clients. Just when I thought I knew everything I needed to know about being a collaborative practitioner, I realized I didn’t know the half of it!

One of the most wonderful benefits of the collaborative approach is that it opens the door to so many more possibilities to serve our clients than they ever had before. I am convinced that the traditional divorce litigation model is becoming a last resort for more and more families and it is getting lower and lower on the list of options for them to use when they’re going through family conflict.

I’ve learned there are so many other ways that I can utilize my peace making approach to helping families resolve conflict and I recognize I was limiting myself by thinking this is an either/or approach. It is not; there are opportunities to work with families and colleagues that go way beyond the scope of either litigating or collaborating.

I am on my way to my real career as a peacemaker!

I want to give a big shout out to my colleague Enid Miller Ponn for coordinating this amazing experience and for bringing Woody to South Florida. Thank you, Enid!

One of the many things I really appreciate about Woody is that he is not only a teacher, he is a student and he recognizes the value of sharing ideas and learning something new. It’s pretty safe to say we all learned something this week.

(Posted on Yahoo Collaborative Law Group Listserve, April 10, 2014)

Carolann Mazza, Family Lawyer
Fort Lauderdale, FL
www.collaborativenow.com

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Woody Mosten is Coming to Tampa February 27-28, 2015.  Click Here To Learn More