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. There is something to be said about uniformity in our Collaborative world, but you should feel free to revise the forms to meet your needs and experiences. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the forms. Thanks to all of the people who worked for many years to create the forms.
After working for more than 10 years, we have succeeded in having Florida adopt the Collaborative Process Act, rules and forms. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Uniform Collaborative Law Act and Rules, which was the basis for our statutes and rules. Florida Collaborative professionals are highly respected throughout the U.S. and internationally. There are so many Collaborative professionals devoting a lot of time and energy to make the Collaborative Process even more successful in Florida, but we have plenty of room for more people to get involved. I encourage you to reach out to me, our President Elaine Silver, the leaders in your local practice group, or anyone else you know in our Collaborative world to get involved. We are certainly a welcoming community.
Congratulations to all of us!
– Bob Merlin
President-Elect, Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals
