Blog

Listen to "Sanity in Co-Parenting (6) Taking a Collaborative Law Approach to Divorce" podcast here

Years after the practice began in Florida, four years after it was ensconced in state law, and three years after accommodations were made in procedural and Bar rules, the use of collaborative law is growing with local associations supporting its legal, mental health, and financial practitioners.

The IACP will be accepting Expressions of Interest for those of you who are interested in serving on an IACP committee. Here is the link to submit your Expression of Interest, which must be submitted by 8:00 pm EST on November 12, 2020.

Greetings, my Collaborative colleagues and friends. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court adopted forms for the Collaborative Process. The forms, which will be available online in the near future, are intended to help Florida’s Collaborative attorneys – they are NOT mandatory. The forms are tools to help especially new Collaborative attorneys become more efficient in their Collaborative practice.

I am happy to announce that the Florida Supreme Court adopted Collaborative Process forms this week. I am others from around Florida who spent a lot of time working on the forms. Thanks to all of you who gave us input on the forms. The forms, which will be available online in the near future, exist to help Collaborative attorneys in Florida. The forms are NOT mandatory.

Recently I was quoted in Florida Trend magazine about divorce. Here are the thoughts that I had shared with them. An increase in divorces could be another side effect of coronavirus. Along with being cooped up together at home, couples may be experiencing money problems due to a layoff, furlough or stock losses.

Most family attorneys only talk about litigating and possibly mediation. Very few discuss the collaborative process, which is ideal for most families.

Hope is not a word you commonly hear when divorce is being discussed. In this episode, Bob Merlin talks with Jennifer Hetherington about how important hope is during challenging times, how lawyers can be peacemakers and practical tools to get through difficult moments.

A recent litigated divorce resulted in a judge entering an emergency order in which a minor child was taken away from a mother, who is an emergency room doctor. You may have heard of the case: Theresa Greene v. Eric Greene, a matter pending in Miami, Florida. The father’s attorney filed an emergency motion in which he asked the judge to prohibit the Greene’s daughter from spending any time with the mother because of her potential exposure to COVID-19.

The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals Annual Forum is always an invigorating time for me. We teach, learn, grow and share ideas with like-minded and committed Collaborative professionals from around the world. This year we all gathered in Chicago, IL for the 20th Anniversary of this terrific event.