What do we think about as practitioners when we consider adding or maintaining a collaborative component to our overall law practice? Certainly there are the basic considerations of marketing and cost-effectiveness that make any practice component financially justifiable and for many, the analysis may end there. Beyond that, however, there is the lure of creating alternatives that support and empower a client through a difficult time. I’m writing here of a collaborative practice that permits the practitioner to reach deep into one’s self to access curiosity, generosity and empathy in order to create solutions that satisfy not only the...

Spouses choose to utilize the collaborative process to resolve divorce-related issues for many reasons, but one of the most common reasons is the need to co-parent once the divorce is finalized.  Unlike the tradition courtroom divorce process, which treats mothers and fathers as adversaries, collaborative divorce treats parents as a team who want to reach an agreement that keeps their children’s needs at the forefront. I recently had the opportunity to appear on iHeart Radio’s Tampa Bay Tomorrow with “Clair.”  Clair is a father who went through the collaborative divorce process, and I represented Clair’s wife.  Clair’s collaborative...

See Kevin’s review of Mr. Shaub’s book here.   Joe, you are not new to me, and you are well known in the Seattle area, but for those who may not know you please tell us a little about yourself.   JOE:  Kevin, first of all, thank you for doing this.  I love these questions!   I got my education and training down in California, getting my JD from the University of Southern California in ’74 and my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at California Family Study Center in ’91.   On a great road trip after my first year in law school, my buddy, Steven Faulstich and I rolled into Washington in my VW Bus and I fell head over heels in...