Hello Collaborative Section members!

It’s been a singular year. I tell my clients that every time we accomplish agreement in small ways, we are building a foundation for the future. They know what is possible in the future, because they’ve already accomplished it in the past.

The same is true for us. We know that the collaborative practice model will endure in the future, come what may, because it has not only endured but adapted and thrived in this past difficult year. Changing the practicalities of how we do what we do doesn’t change truth: the collaborative problem-solving model gives our clients their best opportunity for an optimal and sustainable future.

The Collaborative Law Section has accomplished much this year. Don’t miss our Section Report in the July/August edition of the Texas Bar Journal. Also, be looking for exciting news about the imminent launch of our new website, and a newly established scholarship at South Texas College of Law Houston for law students who enroll in a collaborative law course, in memorial of Ruth L. Rickard.

Please renew your membership in our section for just $25 via your My Bar Page! Here are four great reasons why your $25 dues are one of the best investments you will make in your own practice this year.

• Promote your collaborative practice – Just because you build it, they may not come. The Section provides resources and practice tips in our newsletters and programs that you can put into effect immediately to expand your practice, whether formally or ‘collaborative by stealth.’
• FREE CLE – On July 16 we are offering a FREE stellar program, Creative Negotiating to Achieve More with the Likeable Lawyers team, which will give you 2.5 hours, including 1 hour of ethics. We also produce FREE one hour CLE webinars during the year. And did I mention they are all FREE??
• Build the collaborative community – We are collaborative lawyers because we believe the best outcomes are the work of many, not lone rangers. The section offers opportunities for professional networking, visibility, and education, in civil and family law, both in the bar community and for the public.
• Invest in the future – Section activities include funding scholarships for collaborative training in law school, and exploring potential for innovation to make collaborative processes more accessible to more clients.

It has been an honor to serve as your chair this year. I hope to see you on Zoom on July 16.

Sincerely,
Laura Schlenker, Chair
Collaborative Law Section
State Bar of Texas

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Join Us for a CLE Webinar – Friday, July 16

Our long-awaited annual program from 2020 has been scheduled as a live, interactive Zoom event for 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, July 16. This will be followed by a very brief section meeting for the introduction of the nominated incoming council for the 2021-2022 bar year.

For the CLE presentation, are pleased to finally welcome the creative legal team behind The Likeable Lawyer®, Brian Hammer and Jeffrey Stec.

Creative Negotiating to Achieve More:

How Expansive Negotiation and Lessons from Improvisation
Will Better Achieve More of Everyone’s Needs in Negotiation

Friday, July 16
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT

FREE
2.5 hours MCLE credit, including one hour ethics

REGISTER

This interactive presentation builds on the interest-based negotiation model, enhanced and deepened by unique elements developed by The Likeable Lawyer. Brian Hammer and Jeff Stec borrow from improvisational acting and their unique Expansive Negotiation model that will increase creative input into most any negotiation, while lowering stress, and creatively expanding the pie so that everyone gets more of what they really want. This program will add to your collaborative skills, engage you with exercises to integrate the new material, and entertain, inspire and leave you with new tools to facilitate getting to more expansive solutions whenever you negotiate.

Officer and Council Nominations for 2021-2022 
Section Annual Meeting and Elections – July 21

The section’s Annual Meeting and elections will be held via email survey on Wednesday, July 21.

That morning, you will receive another email containing a link to cast your vote (you will have 24 hours to do so) based on the section’s proposed slate of officers and council members, listed below.

The Nominating Committee is pleased to present the following slate of nominees to be elected to the 2021-2022 Collaborative Law Section Council: 

OFFICERS
Chair: Jill Lowe*
Vice Chair: Chris Farish
Vice Chair, Family: Cindi Barella Graham
Vice Chair, Civil: Anne Shuttee
Secretary: Dianne Carlson
Treasurer: Constance Mims

* Per the section’s bylaws, current Chair Laura Schlenker automatically ascends to the position of immediate past chair for the 2021-2022 bar year. Due to the passing of our 2020-2021 Vice Chair Ruth Rickard, who would have automatically ascended to chair, our section Secretary Jill Lowe has been nominated as chair.

COUNCIL
Term Expires 2024
Richard Shannon

 The voting window will begin at 8 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, July 21 and close at 8 a.m. CDT Thursday, July 22.

Only current section members in good standing may vote. Proxy votes will not be accepted and duplicated votes will be discarded.

Hello Collaborative Section members,

This 2020-2021 bar year was the year no one expected, for obvious reasons. But the unexpected challenges also came with unlooked for benefits, at least in my own practice. This was the year many of us became technologically nimble. Who knew that our working vocabulary would be permanently altered by one word previously associated with imaginary superheroes, Zoom??

It was the year we had to become creative problem-solvers ourselves, before we could assist our clients to do the same. The forced re-evaluation of “I do it that way because this is what we do” has led many of us to make permanent changes in our office space, our interaction with clients, our methods of networking. For many professionals and clients, the collaborative process became more accessible when physical presence was no longer a requirement.

And now this bar year is almost at an end. It is time to choose next year’s section leaders. Are you interested? I can’t make any guarantees about what to expect, but I can assure you that you will not find a better collaborative team with whom to walk, and lead, into the unexpected.

Hoping 2021 brings expansion to your world!

Sincerely,
Laura Schlenker, Chair
Collaborative Law Section State Bar of Texas

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Nominations are OPEN!

We are accepting nominations and applicants for the 2021-2022 Collaborative Law Section Council!

This is not the time to be shy! If you are interested in building your collaborative law practice, have a passion for making it the preferred method of dispute resolution in Texas, and are willing to contribute a few hours a month to your colleagues, then raise your hand! Please send your email of interest, or nomination of a colleague, to the CL Section Chair, Laura Schlenker. Please include a brief description of collaborative training and/or practice areas

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CL/ADR Innovations Workgroup

The Collaborative Law Section is pleased to announce the creation of a new section workgroup as a section project. The group’s working name is: CL/ADR Innovations Workgroup.

The group’s working vision statement is:

Vision: Design enhancements to the collaborative law/alternative dispute resolution practice models to make them:

(1) more accessible to a broad range of civil law disputants (family and non-family and lower income groups); and
(2) more attractive free-market methods of conflict resolution when compared to civil litigation.

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Save the Date! Valuable and Free CLE!

Our long-awaited Annual Program from 2020 has been scheduled as a live, interactive Zoom event for 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT on July 16, followed by a very brief section meeting for elections.

We are pleased to finally welcome the creative legal team behind The Likeable Lawyer®, Brian Hammer and Jeffrey Stec. The program is entitled:

Creative Negotiating to Achieve More: How Expansive Negotiation and Lessons from Improvisation Will Better Achieve More of Everyone’s Needs in Negotiation

(2.5 hours MCLE credit, including one hour ethics)

This interactive presentation builds on the interest-based negotiation model, enhanced and deepened by unique elements developed by The Likeable Lawyer. Brian Hammer and Jeff Stec borrow from improvisational acting and their unique Expansive Negotiation model that will increase creative input into most any negotiation, while lowering stress, and creatively expanding the pie so that everyone gets more of what they really want.

This program will add to your collaborative skills, engage you with exercises to integrate the new material, and entertain, inspire and leave you with new tools to facilitate getting to more expansive solutions whenever you negotiate. Block out your calendar, and watch your email for registration information.

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Section Website Update

Finally, we are delighted to announce that we are deep in the process of building a better website! Tim Crouch and The Crouch Group are creating a new, more functional and informative website that we plan to launch this summer.

We would value your feedback. What do you like, or dislike, about the existing website? How would you plan to utilize an improved section website? Are there any functions or types of information that you would particularly like to see included?

Please send your feedback and suggestions to our CL Section Secretary, Jill Lowe.

Hello collaborative professionals!

First, a public service announcement – if you practice family law, be sure that you note and comply with the changes in the rules governing discovery, including required disclosures during the first 30 days without waiting for a request, and a new window for discovery requests.

Oh wait – there’s no discovery in the collaborative law process! I am intrigued that the litigation community is realizing that certain basic information just should be exchanged, period. And you can certainly get the same information through discovery or through the collaborative process. But our clients benefit from being released from arbitrary calendar deadlines and fights over wording, instead having the ability to mutually set the pace that works for them, in a safe, respectful, and secure interactive process. Yet another gift that the collaborative process gives our clients is the removal of unnecessary stressors, so that they can focus on what’s truly important.

In this issue, we too come bearing gifts!

• FREE CLE – our first ever CL Section Webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, February 24 titled: 50 Ways to Use Your Collaborative Skills In and Out of the Process, by Melinda Eitzen. Use the registration link below.
• A conversation with CL Section board member Cindi Barela Graham – Drink the Kool-Aid. Cindi tells you about her challenges in getting a collaborative practice going, and her best tips on helping it to thrive.
• Information on the 14th Annual Collaborative Law Course, presented virtually on March 4-5. Have you registered yet? If not, use the registration link below and join us!

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The Passing of our Beloved Ruth L. Rickard

Finally, we are very sad to tell you that our section vice chair, and a long-time member of the civil collaborative community in Texas, Ruth Louise Rickard, passed away late last year following a lengthy illness.

All of us in the Collaborative Law Section, whether you knew her personally or not, have benefitted from her vision and leadership in the collaborative world.

Please continue reading below for a memorial tribute to Ruth, and a reprint of a special article that Ruth published in 2008, Authentic Lawyering: Engaging your Head and Your Heart.

We hope that these resources help equip and inspire you to make 2021 your best collaborative year yet!

Sincerely,
Laura R. Schlenker, Chair
Collaborative Law Section State Bar of Texas

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Collaborative Law Section CLE Webinar
50 Ways to Use Your Collaborative Skills, In and Outside of the Process

Wednesday, February 24
Noon – 1 p.m. CST
1 hour MCLE credit
FREE for section members

REGISTER

Speaker: Melinda H. Eitzen

Presenting our first ever webinar, free for section members! If you have ever attended a CLE by Melinda Eitzen, you know this will be a don’t miss event. Melinda is a master credentialed collaborative divorce attorney and trainer, and is also a gifted presenter. We are proud to offer you this member benefit. Melinda will discuss formal collaborative practice under the Collaborative Family Law Act and by contract in a civil setting, the skills we acquire through collaborative training and practice, and how they can be applied in other areas of our practice including litigation and mediation.

Drink the Kool-Aid

A Conversation with CL Section board member Cindi Barela Graham

Didn’t everyone grow up drinking Kool-Aid? And, the real kind, the kind that came in the smaller skinny packet and to which you added your own sugar? Maybe if you were rich you got the kind with the sugar already in it. Being a military brat, our packets were always the skinny, flat ones. But we drank it all the same.

That’s what happened when I heard about and went to the first training for Collaborative Divorce. I drank the Kool-Aid. And, for those of you in the big city, you are likely bored already by this, but let me tell you, it ain’t easy practicing Collaborative Divorce in the Panhandle of Texas where I practice.

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14th Annual Course
Collaborative Law: Building Better Collaboration Webcast

Co-sponsored by 

Collaborative Law Section of the State Bar of Texas
and
Collaborative Divorce Texas 

Thursday, March 4 – Friday, March 5
Thursday: 8:55 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST
Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. CST

Registration
Early Bird Registration (ends March 5): $445
Regular Registration (after March 5): $495 

REGISTER
MORE INFO

Collaborative Law Section and Collaborative Divorce Texas Group members: save $25! Texas Bar College and Texas Paralegal Division members: save $25! Attorneys licensed five years or fewer: 50% off registration price!

This course includes a live chat feature that will allow you to interact with participating speakers and other registrants!

Can’t attend on March 4-5? Register now and view the recording at your convenience. All webcasts are archived after the broadcast and available to review as many times as you like! This webcast will be available for playback on March 30 and the program is MCLE accredited through February 28, 2022.

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In Memoriam: Ruth Louise Rickard

1952 – 2020

By: Anne Shuttee and Laura Schlenker

Our Collaborative Law Section vice chair, our colleague, our dear friend, Ruth Louise Rickard, was born on April 20, 1952, and grew up in the farming community of Rolfe, Iowa. After graduating as valedictorian of her class, she studied internationally, and earned a B.S. degree from Iowa State University in 1974 in psychology and linguistics.

In the years following, Ruth worked in a variety of fields, with the common element being exposure to the role of legal systems in the protection of the public. In the mid-1980s she decided to make a career change.

Read full tribute >>>

Authentic Lawyering: Engaging Your Head and Your Heart

By Ruth Louise Rickard

Note: This article is a re-print of the original that appeared in the June 2008 edition of the Michigan Bar Journal

I have been striving to be a “holistic lawyer” for years. I couldn’t quite articulate that until I discovered the International Alliance of Holistic Lawyers (IAHL), stumbling on its annual conference in 2004 almost by accident. The room was filled with smart, accomplished, and fun-loving lawyers, who shared the following vision:

The IAHL envisions a world where lawyers are valued as healers, helpers, counselors, problem-solvers, and peacemakers. Conflicts are seen as opportunities for growth. Lawyers model balanced lives and are respected for their contributions to the greater good.

Hello Texas collaborative attorneys,

Welcome to 2021! Did any of you, like me, exit 2020 impressed with the fact that people and entities need better methods of conflict resolution? We are excited to offer several upcoming opportunities to build your skill set, and meet the growing need for professionals who understand that fighting it out in the courthouse or on the news is usually not in the best interest of your client. There is a better way.

Below are several training events coming up this spring, including Basic Training in both family and civil arenas, and the Annual Collaborative Law Course CLE co-sponsored by our section. Don’t let the weeks go by without taking advantage of at least one of these virtual offerings. There are early bird pricing opportunities, so act fast!

Also, we will be offering our first ever CL Section Webinar CLE, **FREE** for members! It is entitled, “50 Ways to Use Your Collaborative Skills, In and Outside of the Process,” with more information below.

Upcoming Virtual Training Courses

Family Law Basic Training: February 11-12
Civil Law Basic Training and CLE: February 18-19
CL Section Webinar FREE CLE: February 26
14th Annual Collaborative Law Course: March 4-5

What is the difference between Basic Training and the Collaborative Law Course?

Basic Training is the 101 course, the foundational building block to equip you to handle a collaborative law case, whether family or civil. Consider it the “nuts and bolts” course, or the one you would have had in law school had it been forward thinking. This training walks you through the process from start to finish, with instruction and hands-on role play, and covers common detours that might happen along the way. It is an essential part of being a competent collaborative law practitioner.

Also, consider this a valuable refresher course, if it has been a while since your first basic training or your last collaborative case. Most serious collaborative law practitioners have taken Basic Training more than once.

The Annual Collaborative Law Course is designed to round out your basic skillset. It is more advanced and nuanced CLE, with speakers on topics such as ethical dilemmas, getting un-stuck, client relations, and practice development. The content is different every year, and always very relevant (Zoom practice, anyone??), but it does not take the place of Basic Training.

The Annual Collaborative Law Course CLE is a great opportunity to hone your skills, and to network with other collaborative law professionals from around the state.

I hope that everyone in our section leverages at least one of these opportunities!

Sincerely,
Laura R. Schlenker, Chair
Collaborative Law Section
State Bar of Texas

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Family Law Basic Training

Virtual Basic Collaborative Interdisciplinary Training
February 11-12 (two full days)

To meet the demand for another basic training, CDT is holding another virtual Basic Interdisciplinary Training as follows:

Thursday, February 11: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST (1-hour break for lunch)
Friday, February 12: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST (1-hour break for lunch)

Tuition

EARLY BIRD: thru 11:59 p.m. CST February 5
Members $149; non-members $199; law students $25

REGULAR RATE: February 6 – Noon CST February 10
Members $199; non-members $249; law students $30

REGISTRATION CLOSES AT NOON CST, FEBRUARY 10

Continuing Education is offered (see brochure)

Trainers: Carol Mapp, LCSW, Kate Smith, JD, Richard Price, JD, Thomas Stewart CPA

REGISTER
PROGRAM BROCHURE

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Civil Law Basic Training and CLE

After many years, a Civil Collaborative Law Basic Training is coming back to Texas (virtually)! It is with great excitement that we share with you the link to register for GCLC and the North Carolina Civil Collaborative Law Association’s (NCCCLA) virtual collaborative law training and 14 hour CLE program on February 18-19.

We invite you to register, and to spread the word by sharing this information with other lawyers, mediators, and professionals interested in civil collaborative work. The program contains a combination of pre-recorded content and virtual live sessions.

Virtual Civil Collaborative Law Training Event

February 18-19

REGISTER
PROGRAM AGENDA

Extra way to Save: Members of GCLC may attend for a significant discount that more than covers the cost of membership. GLCL is the premier worldwide civil collaborative law. Visit here to join or renew your GCLC membership and encourage your civil colleagues to do the same. This is a great way to start building your civil network of collaboratively trained attorneys and other professionals. We are looking forward to seeing you virtually on February 18-19!

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Collaborative Law Section Webinar

“50 Ways to Use Your Collaborative Skills, In and Outside of the Process”

Wednesday, February 24
Noon – 1 p.m. CST
1 hour MCLE credit
Speaker: Melinda H. Eitzen
FREE for section members

Presenting our first ever Webinar, free for section members! If you have ever attended a CLE by Melinda Eitzen, you know this will be a don’t miss event. Melinda is a Master Credentialed collaborative divorce attorney and trainer, and is also a gifted presenter. We are proud to offer you this member benefit. Look for registration info coming soon via email and on our website.

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14th Annual Course
Collaborative Law: Building Better Collaboration Webcast

Co-sponsored by
Collaborative Law Section of the State Bar of Texas

and

Collaborative Divorce Texas

Thursday, March 4 – Friday, March 5
Thursday: 8:55 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST
Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. CST

Registration

Early Bird Registration (ends March 5): $445
Regular Registration (after March 5): $495

REGISTER
MORE INFO

Collaborative Law Section and Collaborative Divorce Texas Group members: save $25! Texas Bar College and Texas Paralegal Division members: save $25! Attorneys licensed five years or fewer: 50% off registration price!

This course includes a live chat feature that will allow you to interact with participating speakers and other registrants!

Can’t attend on March 4-5?

Register now and view the recording at your convenience. All webcasts are archived after the broadcast and available to review as many times as you like! This webcast will be available for playback on March 30 and the program is MCLE accredited through February 28, 2022.

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Hello Texas collaborative attorneys!

I am the chair of the Collaborative Law Section of the State Bar of Texas this year, and on behalf of the entire CL Section Council, welcome to the 2020-2021 year! 

Your council has been hard at work planning several initiatives this year, including more member benefits for YOU. This year you can expect to receive newsletters and email announcements containing informational articles and training opportunities. The council is also planning to produce broad-interest collaborative law webinars for CLE credit, FREE for members. 

And finally, the council is working on ways to leverage our collaborative training, toolbox, and mindset in non-traditional settings, in order to broaden our market both in family conflict settings, and in a civil context. You might think of it as “expansion collaborative by stealth.” (See the below Work Group announcement for details.)

How can you maximize your section benefits?

First: Rejoin the CL Section if you have not already done so. You can rejoin online via your MyBarPage or by downloading this Membership Application. This is a year you will not want to miss. 

Second: Mark your calendars. There are several training and CLE events listed below.

Third: Get trained. There is no substitute for formal basic training, and there has never been an easier or more cost-effective time to obtain it. If you don’t know whether you have ever received basic training, or if you’ve slept since then and have only a vague memory of it, then it is time for a refresher course! I’ve completed basic training twice, and the second was even more valuable to me than the first.

Fourth: Get involved. Perhaps you have a passion for compiling newsletters (you never know until you ask!)  We are looking for volunteers for our Work Group. We are also looking for volunteers to conduct webinars and submit newsletter articles. Do you have a great CLE presentation that you would like to share on a statewide platform?  Do you have a great CLE that would easily translate into an article?  Bonus benefit – the more your name gets out on the internet connected to CL Section activities, the more likely it is that your next collaborative client will find you. 

If you have something to contribute, talent or time, please contact me.

This will be a great year to be a member in the Collaborative Law Section!  I’ll see you soon.

Regards,

Laura R. Schlenker, Chair
214-923-5071
Collaborative Law Section
State Bar of Texas

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Family Law Basic Training Opportunity 

Collaborative Divorce Texas Introduces Virtual
Basic Collaborative Interdisciplinary Training 

November 12-13 and November 19-20

To meet the demand for basic training, Collaborative Divorce Texas is holding its first Virtual Basic Interdisciplinary Training with trainers from around the state. We hope you will join us remotely with other collaborative minded professionals on the following dates! 

Dates and Times

Session One: Thursday, November 12 – Friday November 13
Thursday: 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST
Friday: 8:30 a.m. – Noon CST

Session Two: Thursday, November 19 – Friday, November 20
Thursday: 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST
Friday: 8:30 a.m. – Noon CST

Participants must attend both sessions to receive credit for the training. 

Tuition
Early bird rate (through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 30)
$149 for Collaborative Divorce Texas members
$199 for non section members $25 for law students 

Regular rate (Oct. 31 – 5 p.m. Nov. 5)
$199 for Collaborative Divorce Texas members
$249 for non section members $30 for law students 

REGISTER HERE
Brochure/Training Information

Civil Law Training Opportunity 

• Date TBD: Watch for announcement of Virtual Basic and Advanced Civil Training, produced by the Global Collaborative Council. For more information and resources for Civil Collaborative Law, visit here. 
   

Hold the Date 

• March 4-5, 2021: TexasBarCLE 14th Annual Collaborative Law Course 2021 (webcast only)
  Register for webcast 
• June 17-18, 2021: State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting (tentative)
  Omni Hotel and Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth
  June 18: Collaborative Law Section CLE

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Volunteer for NEW Work Group

The section is forming a Design & Evaluation Work Group.

We need volunteers. Persons desiring to volunteer should submit their name and resume to the Work Group chair, Richard Shannon. The deadline for submission is November 30.

Vision: Design enhancements to the collaborative law practice model to make it
(1) more accessible to a broader demographic, and
(2) a more attractive conflict resolution method in the private free market. This is an exciting project intended to produce ground-breaking outcomes. Can the private market outperform the traditional courts in producing conflict resolution that is more cost effective, faster, more durable with higher satisfaction of participants?

Qualified Volunteers: Collaboratively trained attorneys (both civil and family), collaboratively trained neutral professionals (both financial and mental health), academic professionals with expertise in conflict resolution and decision-making theory, and mediators. The group will be intentionally limited in size and diverse in areas of expertise.