July 22, 2016
The Power of Collaborative Peer Relationships
Last month I emphasized that every collaborative lawyer should be an active member of a collaborative practice group or organization. Why?
Theory.
A strong collaborative practice group gives its collaborative professionals a place to explore new ideas, practice our skills, and share knowledge about the law. This place is safe, accepting, and without judgment so that we’re allowed to be vulnerable and open to advice and learn without the fear of looking foolish. (This is the same environment we, as collaborative professionals, strive to provide to our collaborative divorce clients!)
A strong collaborative practice group gives its members an opportunity to develop long term, respectful, and trusting relationships with each other – the chance to be familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses and know with certainty that we can count on each other. These trusting relationships are key to successful collaboration, especially in our most difficult collaborative divorce cases.
Real Life.
The date was June 24. The setting was a beautiful backyard on a lake.
From 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM I had the honor of attending The Collaborative Divorce Lawyers Association retreat. www.collaborative-divorce.com. Along with the other 20+/- members of our group, we shared practice tips and new developments in CT divorce law, discussed ethical questions which arise in our collaborative cases and had the chance to improve our collaborative skills by roll playing various real case scenarios.
Even more importantly, we strengthened our bonds as collaborative professionals and shared the appreciation we all feel for being able to do this very special, tough, and rewarding work.
Take Away.
There is power in peer relationships. Before choosing a collaborative divorce lawyer, make sure she’s an active member of a collaborative divorce group. It’s in your best interests that she is.
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