Divorce court here in Florida is a terrible way to resolve disputes. Divorce litigation is an adversarial proceeding where husband is pitted against wife, mother is pitted against father.
And it is the children who end up suffering the most.
But don’t take my word for it. Tampa psychologist Stephanie Moulton Sarkis writes about the consequences of high conflict divorce on children:
Many people who are getting divorced want to reach an agreement with their spouse, but they need some help to do so. Though non-adversarial options such as collaborative practice allow those who need more support to each have their own attorney to provide them advice, not everyone wants to be represented by an attorney.
For those people, co-mediation may be a perfect option. And Family Diplomacy is proud to be one of the leading firms in Tampa Bay to offer co-mediation services.
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http://www.collaborativefamilylawfl.com/collaborative-training/
BASIC AND ADVANCED COLLABORATIVE TRAINING
Friday January 6 – Saturday January 7, 2017 – Basic Training from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday January 8, 2017- Advanced Training from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
PLACE: Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave., Davie, FL, – Maltz Psychology Building
Are you an attorney who wants to offer an alternative to litigation to your divorcing clients? Have you heard about this new way of assisting clients through divorce without the need for court
involvement? Are you a Financial Professional, Mental Health Professional or Mediator wanting to offer alternatives to traditional litigation support in divorce?
Divorce can be one of the most turbulent times in your life, and so it makes me feel good when I can help clients gain a sense of empowerment and stability.
In a recent review on Avvo.com, a former client of mine discusses how our firm and the collaborative process helped her take back control of her life.
FLORIDA BAR NOTICE: Please note that every case is different, and that you may not receive the same or similar results.
In the aftermath of the turbulent election season, are you and your partner seeking to add stability to your lives by tying the knot? Have you been in a long-term relationship and are now seeking to formalize and get legal recognition for it?
You may want to consider getting a prenuptial agreement. You and your partner may have a certain way of handling your finances. Do you wish to keep certain funds separate to maintain a degree of independence? Do you want to keep other funds joint for your mutual enjoyment? Do you want to clarify which of your assets should be considered non-marital and which should be seen as common property?
I no longer litigate. This means that I do not appear in contested court hearings in Tampa or any other area in which I practice. I have made this decision because I have found that most people who are divorcing do not want to tear down their spouse in court; rather they want to move on with their lives, as peacefully, privately, and quickly as possible.
In the video below, collaborative attorney Enid Miller Ponn Discusses why she no longer litigates:
Tampa attorney Adam B. Cordover lead a workshop at the 17th Annual Educational and Networking Forum of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (“IACP”). The Forum took place in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada, and was attended by hundreds of attorneys, mental health professionals, financial professionals, mediators, and other supportive of helping families resolve disputes respectfully and privately via the collaborative process.
Cordover lead the workshop alongside Barrie, Ontario lawyer Brian Galbraith and Seattle, Washington attorney Kevin Scudder. The program was called “Collaborative Multiverse,” and the idea was to lead a townhall-style debate and discussion among experienced collaborative practitioners on issues affecting collaborative practice.
Brian Galbraith, Adam B. Cordover, and Kevin Scudder at the 17th Annual IACP Forum (2016)
One topic that was discussed was determining the best collaborative model to use for each particular family. Different parts of the world predominantly use different arrangements of professionals to resolve divorce and other issues. In Florida, the main model that is used is known as the Neutral Facilitator model, where each party has an attorney, a neutral facilitator with a mental health licensure helps with parenting issues and ensures discussions are future-focused, and a neutral financial professional aids in creating family budgets and ensures financial transparency and disclosure.
We are in exciting times! In March of this year, Governor Rick Scott signed the Collaborative Law Process Act, and rules of procedure and professional conduct are pending before the Florida Supreme Court. Divorce attorneys and other professionals are realizing that being trained in the collaborative method is now essential for any family law-related practice. This presents a tremendous opportunity for expansion for all of our practice groups.
It is in this environment that we are excited to announce the formation of a new training team! Tampa Bay Collaborative Trainers offer a customized two-day introductory interdisciplinary training in the neutral facilitator/neutral mental health professional model at a low-risk cost structure that will help you build a vibrant collaborative community.
One of the great things about collaborative law is that families are not handcuffed by the over-scheduled dockets of judges, nor are they bound by the confines of the overcrowded courthouse. This provides families and professionals with a lot of freedom on how, when, and where they make long-lasting decisions and resolve disputes.
Still, it can sometimes be daunting to organize meetings around the busy lives of spouses and practitioners. Here are four tools to help communication in collaborative cases, and the best part is that do not cost a dime.
One of the toughest initial tasks of any collaborative divorce case is to find a time that works for all of the professionals to plan out how to best help out the family. Similarly, carving a time that also works for both spouses for the first full team meeting adds two more calendars to consider.
Fortunately, Doodle provides an easy and free way to help coordinate schedules. Simply go to their website, provide some basic information such as title for the event, location, description, your name, and your e-mail address, and then fill out a grid for all of the proposed dates and times of your meeting. Next, provide the e-mail addresses of the people with whom you need to schedule, and Doodle will send out a message inviting everyone to fill out the grid. Every time someone responds, you will get a notification, and Doodle will indicate the date(s) and time(s) that works best for everyone. If no time and date works for everyone, simply create another Doodle.
I have found that in person meetings are generally the best way to communicate in collaborative cases. However, in person meetings are not always possible, and sometimes they are not desirable.
Gary Direnfeld is a social worker based in Dundas, Ontario, where the courts consider him an expert in social work, marital therapy, child development, and custody and access matters. And Gary has a message for spouses considering divorce: stay out of the courts.
I got to know Gary this summer at a training in Chicago where we were learning to teach divorce lawyers and practitioners how to become peacemakers. He is passionate about his work to help families in difficult circumstances. In the short video below, Gary discusses an alternative to divorce court battles that he recommends: collaborative law.
