WOW! I still cannot get over what a great time we had in Tampa at the tenth annual FACP Conference! There was so much positive energy, enthusiasm and fun, not to mention the opportunity to learn from very experienced Collaborative professionals. Our keynote speaker was Ron Ousky, one of the first Collaborative attorneys and a very close friend of the creator of the Collaborative Process, Stu Webb.
Ron spoke about Radical and Practical Collaboration – building creative teams that maximize client opportunities and adapt to individual needs. What I took away from Ron’s presentation was that we can help families create a better future and actually have a positive impact on not only our clients, but on their entire family as well, affecting generations to come. How do our clients want their children to describe their divorce? Will they be traumatized by the experience? Will they walk away with dysfunctional relationships with their parents? Or , will they remember the peace and love that followed their parents’ divorce?
Each of us, through the Collaborative Process, has the ability to help shape the lives of our clients and their children through how we handle ourselves and represent our clients.
I want to thank our Conference Committee co-chairs, Karen Middlekauff, Tammy Berman, Jessica Felix and Enid Miller Ponn, who devoted untold hours to putting on a great conference. The theme of the conference was “The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts: Building Strong and Effective Collaborative Teams.”
You will see the effects of the conference in the year to come as those who attended the conference will become even better versions of themselves as a result of what they learned during the conference. The Conference Committee, with the help of our conference sponsors, arranged to record most of the conference. Please look for announcements in the coming weeks with instructions on how you can purchase the videos. By the way, watching the videos will count toward your education credits needed to become an FACP Accredited Collaborative Professional.
For the first time in the ten years of our conferences, we had judges and magistrates in attendance. We are beginning to see some of the judiciary recognize that the Collaborative Process is a healthier, more respectful and more creative alternative to traditional litigation, so FACP will continue to educate judges and magistrates on the invaluable benefits of the Collaborative Process.
Our Governance Committee is working hard to ensure that every client who files a family matter in court is advised of the availability of the Collaborative Process as an alternative to litigation. With the help of the courts and clerks, the public can then be appropriately educated about the Collaborative Process, thus reducing the burden on the courts.
On that note, FACP will continue to promote access to the judicial system and legal help through our pro bono and low-cost Collaborative programs. We have worked very hard on this for many years and I look forward to seeing what our Access Committee does in the future. We could use your help, so please join the Access Committee and participate in their meetings and programs.
As I am rapidly approaching the end of my first year as President, I am incredibly proud of what we have thus far accomplished, and welcome your energy and creativity so we can do even more. We would love to have you join one or more of our active committees: Access; Blog/Newsletter; Credentialing; Conference; Fundraising; Governance; Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility; Outreach; Practice Group Development; Research; and Website/Social Media.
There is a place for every member of FACP to get involved. All you need to do is take a step forward and offer to get involved. The more people we have involved in FACP, the better our organization will be and the better we will serve our clients.
I wish you a happy and healthy summer and I look forward to seeing you and communicating with you again very soon.
