Hello ,

In my part of the world, Spring has arrived and with Spring comes a rejuvenation of mind and spirit. I see that as no different for our Collaborative Community this past month!

These past few months have been a whirlwind of excitement and knowledge. As your Executive Director, I have taken the time to listen to leaders, members, constituents, and those who are so passionate. From what I have learned thus far (and I have more listening to do), Collaborative and communication are forever intertwined, especially as we make the paradigm shift. I was thankful to take my introductory training with three of the most amazing trainers and educators! Thank you Erinn McKee Hannigan, Cheryl Panther, and Julia McAninch for helping open my eyes to a new thought process, one full of better ways to communicate in my daily and professional life. I learned that as a Collaborative Community we must continue to communicate with each other about innovations, with our clients about their needs, and with the world about perspective. I also learned in my studies, there are five essential communication skills; written, oral, non-verbal, contextual, and most importantly, active listening. I promise to continue to actively listen to you about the needs of IACP and the Collaborative Community, just as you will listen to those who need Collaborative.

Throughout this issue of the Collaborative Connection you will find one theme, an expansion of perspective. From April 15 - 21, 2022, IACP hosted World Creativity and Innovation Week and Day, which truly expanded the execution of Collaboration worldwide and in early May IACP hopes to challenge you to “opt in” to our 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge! I want us to expand our knowledge, communication, and Collaboration together. I also hope you have already marked your calendar for IACP's 23rd Annual Networking and Educational Forum in Orlando, FL on October 27-30, 2022. Registration, hotel booking, and more will open soon. I know this will be a “return home” for many of us as we meet new practitioners, embrace (hopefully!) friends we haven’t seen, and learn how to make a difference in those who need it most.

As we embark on a journey, we will make sure IACP continues to be watered and bloomed. We can only see this come to fruition together.

Respectfully,

Michael C. Russell

IACP Executive Director

IACP is committed to developing strategies to enhance equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in our organization and community. We need to establish a baseline as to where we stand today so that we can determine if we are making progress.

We have developed a 7-minute survey, with the assistance of a consultant, using Jotform to gather information from our membership. We hope you will take the time to complete the survey and help us in our efforts.

Thank you for your participation. Please complete this survey by 5:00 PM PST, Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Please click on the button below to complete the survey.

Our goal is to help IACP and its community grow stronger and more inclusive. With YOUR participation in this survey, we hope to gain insights that will make that possible.

At IACP our international community of legal, mental health, and financial professionals are committed to working in concert to create client-centered processes for resolving conflict. To do this, we need changemakers like YOU! 

While making lasting and impactful change is hard, creating effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of power, privilege, supremacy, and leadership IS attainable if we set our intentions and adjust what we spend our time doing.

That’s why we’re inviting YOU to join our 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge from May 1-21, 2022, where IACP and its international members will build new habits to empower every Collaborative Professional to be a more effective player in the quest for equity and justice. Better yet, you can participate in this challenge with your Practice Group, friends, family, or organization as well!

For 21 days, IACP will send a daily email with one action step to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity. These daily emails include ONE prompt to connect you to resources such as readings, podcasts, videos, observations, and ways to form and deepen community connections. For 21 days all you have to do is complete your daily prompt to build the habits YOU need to be a champion for equity and justice every day of your life!

If you would like to learn more about our 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge visit: https://www.eddiemoorejr.com/21daychallenge

To share your 21-Day experience with the 21-Day Community, like their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/21DayREHBC

To opt into receiving our daily 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge email communications, click the button below.

Join IACP for our April Webinar, Unbundled Legal Services - For Your Clients, Your Firm and You, hosted by Attorney AJ Skogerson, Co-Founder of The Law Shop by Skogerson McGinn LLC. We will chat about the who, what, when, where, and why of running an exclusively unbundled legal services firm. Mindful and intentional limited scope representation leads to decreased stress, increased income, and greater access to justice for all. AJ is passionate about helping other professionals custom design their own work in ways that support each individual's unique style and preferences for work/life balance. She coaches in client dialoguing and maximizing office efficiency so as to help our clients, our colleagues, and ourselves in living our very best lives.

• Date: April 27, 2022
• Time: 9:00 AM PDT (check your local time here)
• Length: 90 minutes

Join IACP Research Committee chairs Collaborative Mental Health Professional Randy Heller and Collaborative Lawyer Robert Arthur to learn how you can administer and leverage the IACP Client Experience Survey in your practice!

DATE: Wednesday, May 18th, 2022

TIME: 11:00 AM PDT (please check your local time here)

LENGTH: 60 minutes 

What do you need to share about yourself with other team members (and maybe the clients) to ensure a smooth and productive Collaborative process? When should personal information be private, and when is it useful or even essential for the team to understand details about you and your life outside the zoom room or the office? When does your emotional response to a case, a client, or another professional compel you to explain? What is too much information? Can you decline to tell, even when asked?

Join IACP and presenters Karen Levitt and Gina Arons on Thursday, June 16 at 8:00 am PDT for To Tell or Not to tell: Who Needs To Know, a workshop to address the complexities of sharing or not sharing personal material with the professional team. We will examine the impact of “to tell or not to tell” on settlement negotiations, the functioning of the professional team, and the clients will explore the importance of finding an optimal balance between privacy and open communication.

DATE: Thursday, June 16, 2022 

TIME: 8:00AM - 9:00AM PDT (check your local time here)

LOCATION: Online via Zoom 

FEE: Free to IACP members, $50.00 USD for non-members

Presented by Karen Levitt and Gina Arons

You're invited to join IACP at our  “Welcome Inn - Your Continuing Invitation,” an interactive opportunity to meet other Collaborative colleagues, ask questions and talk about Collaborative Practice. We look forward to seeing you!

Our Welcome Inn series is perfect for those looking to expand their Collaborative network by making lasting professional connections and for those looking to learn how to make the most of their IACP membership!

If you're a Practice Group Leader, we encourage you to share this with your new and prospective members and/or trainees.

Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Time: 2:00 pm EDT/11:00 am PDT (check your local time here)

Length: 60 minutes

Presenters: IACP Membership and Outreach Committee

Cost: FREE

IACP's Annual Networking and Educational Forum is the largest and most preeminent gathering of Collaborative and Consensual Dispute Resolution professionals from around the world!

After too much time apart, and two years of our IACP community growing, we are just as excited as you are to see each other in person again! From October 27-30, 2022, we will gather together in Orlando, Florida at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center for a weekend full of enriching networking and impactful learning. At IACP, we work hard AND we play hard!

2022's Forum in Orlando promises to be another incredible opportunity for networking, education, and sharing of best practices. In fact, IACP anticipates that our fully in-person 23rd Annual Networking & Educational Forum in Orlando, Florida will be one of our biggest Forums yet!

Our 2022 Forum theme will be Share the Collaborative Magic! To learn more, watch our 2022 Forum: Share The Collaborative Magic video here! 

Inspired not just by our Forum location, which is hailed as the most magical place on earth, and the out-of-this-world resort we will be staying at, this theme represents every Collaborative Professional's firsthand understanding of Collaborative being a truly magical experience, which holds transformative powers felt by clients around the world and the Collaborative teams that help them. 2022's Networking and Educational Forum will truly be an enchanting experience filled with magical moments!

Please refer to our Forum homepage as information about hotel booking, registration, scholarships, and much more will be coming out soon!

Have we mentioned that IACP's Annual Networking and Educational Forum is the largest and most preeminent gathering of Collaborative professionals from around the world, and after too much time apart, and two years of membership growth, IACP's community is eager to gather together in person again?

The 23rd Annual Networking and Educational Forum will be an incredible opportunity to share your product or service with professionals from around the world, at the largest gathering of Collaborative and Family Dispute Resolution Professionals internationally. Supporting Partners, Sponsors, Advertisers, Exhibitors, and IACP Members will not want to miss out on the sponsorships and events associated with this tremendous conference!

Our Venue, Gaylord Palm Resort & Convention Center, offers exciting opportunities for both our attendees AND sponsors, so we have built our special sponsorship packages to reflect the uniqueness of this remarkable hotel. 

Sponsors who make payment by May 13, 2022 will be highlighted in a special notice in a member email announcing the opening of registration.

To learn how you can create your own magical opportunity at Forum, Contact Michael C. Russell, Executive Director at MCR@CollaborativePractice.com.

Did you know Practice Group administrators can update information for their group, including adding new members? Do you need to make changes for your group or add a new administrator? Reach out to our Membership Coordinator, Dolores at dolores@collaborativepractice.com for more details!.