Family Conflict? Get Your Boots on the Ground
Not your parent’s divorce.
Collaborative lawyers are specialized advocates for their client’s interests. They provide the support and the tools necessary to allow you to make intelligent choices about your future while providing a safe and effective negotiation environment. Strategies are developed to deal with the emotional dynamics and effective communication skills are utilized to understand each other’s needs. Creative solutions are generated to maximize positive outcomes.
A universal feature of our shared humanity is conflict.
Conflict can be destructive or it can be constructive. Destructive conflict can spiral out of control easily and the outcomes are often devastating. Constructive conflict elicits human creativity, which is valuable, and often necessary to effectuate change. How we deal with conflict is a matter of choice.
The gift that keeps on giving.
The traditional family dispute resolution model found in the court system is archaic and destructive. This family litigation model is both financially and mentally costly. Additionally, litigation is time consuming and the outcomes are often unsustainable and less than optimum. The courts have limited standardized options available to them. Families often develop a habitual cycle of conflict resolution which engages the court system over and over again. The individuals and the family continue to suffer.
We can change habitual responses to divorce and exercise intelligent choice by engaging in the Collaborative Law Process.
Choosing the Collaborative Law Process increases the likelihood of reaching an enduring and mutually acceptable outcome. Through the process, interests and needs are developed. The conflict is reframed as a shared problem with mutually acceptable solutions. This leads to more creative and sustainable possibilities. Expanding the range of solutions increases overall client satisfaction.
Our state encourages the peaceful resolution of disputes.
Chapter 61.55, Florida Statute states: “The collaborative law process is a unique nonadversarial process that preserves a working relationship between the parties and reduces the emotional and financial toll of litigation.” This is the promise of the Collaborative Law Process, but it requires an extraordinary effort by you and your collaborative team. So get your boots on the ground and get to work. Find out about the different options available and make the right choice for you and your family. Don’t fall prey to the same old – same old.
To learn more about the collaborative law process, call us at 407-644-4040 or contact us to schedule a consultation.
Born and raised in Connecticut, I am a “double Gator,” having received both my undergraduate and my law degree from the University of Florida. In my practice, I have worked as a Guardian ad Litem with hundreds of children in both dependency and custody cases, frequently appointed by judges. I have been honored to receive many awards and recognition's for my work as a children’s advocate. I received the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for 2017 for my Guardian ad Litem work, and also received the highest award given for Guardian ad Litem representation, the 2016 Judge J.C. “Jake” Stone Distinguished Service Award.
In August 2020, I was one of the first collaborative lawyers to receive accreditation by the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals (FACP), a designation I continue to hold today. I teach Collaborative Law as an Adjunct Law Professor at the Barry University School of Law, and serve as the Director of The Barry Collaborative Family Law Clinic. The Clinic represents modest income families with divorce and paternity through the Collaborative Process. I am a Collaborative Law trainer and speaker, and served as the Administrator and board member of The Collaborative Family Law Group of Florida from 2008-2018.
Whether working with clients in the conference room, by zoom, or in the court room, I am committed to empowering individuals and families to achieve healthier and more positive futures.
