IACP Blog

Like most industries, the legal world is adapting to this strange and unexpected new world we find ourselves thrust into in the Spring of 2020. COVID-19 is affecting divorce and other family law cases, just like everything else.

First of all, many courts have suspended all non-critical hearings. In the jurisdictions where I practice, this has resulted in most courts allowing agreed orders, including final orders on divorce (also known as final decrees of divorce) and child custody to be submitted electronically with an affidavit en lieu of testimony.

Collaborative Practice is being utilized in 25 different countries, in every state of the Union of the United States, and in every province in Canada. It is the wave of the future!

The Dreaded Disqualification Requirement: How to Address It With Your Clients

One of the most common complaints I hear about the Collaborative Process is the requirement that the Collaborative attorneys cannot continue to represent the clients in litigation if the process is terminated, i.e., the dreaded disqualification requirement. 

I hear this from attorneys and clients alike. In talking to attorneys who harbor objections to the Collaborative Process because of this requirement, I have determined that most of them don't truly understand the purpose of the requirement.

You Probably Know That You Need To Be Making Videos To Compete Online, But Do You Know Exactly Which Videos? And How To Optimize Them To Get You Leads And Traffic? This is Part 1 in the Getting Your Videos Seen series.

KNOWING WHICH VIDEOS TO MAKE

Appreciate the opportunities that lockdown offers us.

I wrote this article a while back and recognize how relevant it is today, not only for our clients but for us as Collaborative Professionals. As we work our way through this pandemic, we are prompted to value the simple things. We are also called to notice the local and larger impact of adversity.

Like most Collaborative Professionals, I have found myself working almost exclusively from home.  Though I had worked from home in the past, I always had the option of going into the office to access needed equipment (such as an industrial scanner) that made life easier.  Now, not so much.  Fortunately, I had some software in place that made the transition to an at-home practice easier, and I have had to quickly learn new software. 

Managing a Collaborative Case Thousands of Miles Away

In the era of COVID-19, everyone is just now clamoring to use Zoom and other virtual meeting software to conduct business.   However, my Collaborative Divorce colleagues and I were already doing it.

Introduction:

There are different ways to get better at the Collaborative work that we do.  We have taken our introductory Training and our 35-hour Mediation training, and likely attended conferences and / or other trainings.  Another way for us to understand the work better and to get some first-hand experience is through the mentor / mentee experience.

I'm not an active Facebook user. In fact, my generation tends to stay away from it altogether. Baby Boomers are a bit put off by all these social media choices. And Millennials tend to use Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. But, nonetheless, most of us (my husband excluded; go figure!) do have a Facebook account, and sometimes I give in to the temptation to scroll. For hours.