Woody and carl Michael talk about educating ‘the public’ vs teaching our colleagues about Collaborative Practice and the depths to which that public education can go, even toward preventing conflict [first clip]; and Woody shares a bit about his own journey into Peacemaking, how the paradigm shift manifests,  and about various expansions to meet clients needs while still remaining focused on peace, including incorporating litigation consultants and talk of potential outcomes in court.    [second clip]….. Couple of the references are to:   The National Center for Preventive Law   and    Americans For the Department...

Sherrie Abney and Lawrence Maxwell share what’s been going on and where it can go. Over twenty years ago a Minnesota family attorney, Stu Webb, created the collaborative dispute resolution process. Collaborative Law continues to progress nicely in the family arena. Collaborative law is an exciting tool in the alternative dispute resolution tool box. The process enables individuals, families, businesses and organizations to maintain control over their relationships with others by empowering them with the ability to resolve their disputes peaceably. Why don’t more people use the collaborative process to resolve civil disputes? For the...

Woody and carl Michael talk about Collaborative Practice as a Consumer Service Product, the value of client involvement in designing the support they need from the CP process, the role, if any, sharing personal details and ‘war stories’ by the professionals and more….. We’ll touch on even more topics as he and I continue our conversation.  Please add your comments and questions and we’ll try to integrate them into a future chat. Amazon.com Widgets  Amazon.com Widgets ************* “Talking with…” is an ongoing set of videotaped discussions between carl Michael rossi and others who train,...

In my previous article I introduced an exciting and much needed approach to divorce called Collaborative Divorce.  I discussed how the process of Collaborative divorce empowers the divorcing couple by allowing them to structure their own divorce with the assistance of trained professionals (Financial, Mental Health, and Attorneys) whose sole job is to settle the case without having to go to court.  I pointed out that this process is faster, cheaper and much less traumatic on the divorcing couple and their children by providing a ‘safe’ environment where everyone maintains respect, honesty and dignity. I also asked the rhetorical...

According to a survey which can be found on the web site of the National Center for Health Statistics, 43% of all marriages will end before 15 years.  (First Marriage Dissolution, Divorce, and Remarriage: United States. Advance Data No. 323. 19 pp. (PHS) 2001-1250.) What this means is that most people in this country are or will be living under a court order before they die or their children are grown. Looked at in this stark light, our current approach to divorce is shocking, unworkable and even pathological.  Looked at from any distance, we can see that families do not truly survive the adversarial arena, and that traditional court...

When two people marry, the feeling is one of pleasant thoughts and a lifetime of hope for the future….as it rightfully should be.   A simple marriage contract is signed by both parties without ever a real thought about the possibility of divorcing.  Statistically speaking, divorce occurs in 50% of first marriages and 60% of second marriages.1 What is even more unfortunate is that the emotional, financial, and legal process of divorce that the (once in love) couple can find themselves in, is anything but pleasant or hopeful.  “On its best day the family law system in this country is ‘inefficient’; on its average day it is...

     Members of the clergy are a significant segment of society often called upon by, and indirectly involved with divorcing parties and their families.  The authors assembled an article to inform  both the clergy and their members about the collaborative divorce process. Since none of us are members of the clergy, we conducted a small focus group survey to gain a better understanding of their perspective and concerns.   The survey was conducted to obtain direct input on clerical concerns surrounding the divorce process, not for the purpose of statistical relevance.   We interviewed six individuals from varying denominations and...

In which Sherrie R. Abney, Esq. shares her experience of bringing the principles of Collaborative Practice to Pakistan. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his  point of view –until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” –Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mocking bird The American View            Everyone was a little apprehensive.  It was May 7, 2011, and we were preparing to meet ten visitors from Pakistan that the U.S. State Department had brought to Dallas, Texas, to learn about peace keeping and conflict resolution.  Five days earlier the United States Navy Seals had killed...