| Greetings!
We are pleased to bring you Volume 2010/3 of the CP Cal Newsletter, the electronic newsletter of Collaborative Practice California.
This issue, we are experimenting with a new format: instead of sending a shorter e-newsletter with "click throughs" to the articles, we are including the full articles in the newsletter. (Scroll down the newsletter, or click on a title in the "In This Issue" column to the right and you will be taken directly to the article.) We welcome your feedback on the format you prefer (contact paula@gneo.net with your comments).
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Letter from the CP Cal President
by Kathleen O'Connor |
2010 Board of Directors. |
Welcome to Fall. With vacations behind us and children in school, we take a look at our goals with new enthusiasm and energy. Your Board met in July 2010 in Los Angeles, setting goals and agendas for the year ahead. The costs of the rooms and transportation were at the personal expense of the Board Members. I appreciate the generosity and commitment of these wonderful people to the growth of the Collaborative movement in California.
The Board set a primary initiative for the next year: Education of the Members and the Public. The committee on member education is setting standards for educational programs and protocols state-wide. The goal is to offer educational programs for Collaborative professionals to assure quality for the consumer. Collaborative Practice will grow one case at a time with satisfied parties. Kim Davidson, Randy Cheek, Stephanie Maloney, Emily Weaver and David Fink are workingon this project.
We need to educate the public that Collaborative Practice offers an alternative to litigation and mediation. The consumer has a right to know the process choices which are available to them. The Board convened a second retreat, and invited professionals who had expressed an interest in public education. Len Weiler and Leslee Newman have taken the lead to follow up on the great work of the retreat. Mike Spiekerman (Orange County) is leading the development of a theme that will be used in print ads, informational material, and movie theaters.
The Tool Box committee is soliciting copies of materials that your group is using, including forms, protocols, presentations, etc. We would like to build a central repository for all CP Cal members and the best marketing ideas may be incorporated into the advertising and made available to groups for presentations. Remember to send your group's materials to Susan Campbell or George Richardson.
Judi Foley and Suzan Barrie Aiken, Co-Chairs for Celebration VI, are working hard with the program committee for an educational and fun event at Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego. Mark your calendar for April 29-May 1, 2011 - I am looking forward to seeing you there.
Continue your good work and enthusiasm for the growth of the Collaborative movement in California. |
| 2011 CP Cal Celebration | | by Judi S. Foley and Suzan Barrie Aiken
We're working on the Sixth Annual CP Cal Celebration, "COLLABORATION WITHOUT BORDERS: Expanding our Horizons," to take place from April 30 to May 1, 2011 at Rancho Bernardo Inn in beautiful San Diego, California. Mark your calendars now for a weekend of education, networking, fun and relaxation in sunny southern California!
Members of the Program Committee (Emily Weaver, MFT; Justin Reckers, CFP, CDFA; Ann Buscho, PhD; Arlene Kostant, Esquire; Susan Campbell, CDFA, CFP; Warren Sacks, CPA; Fern Salka, Esquire; and your co-chairs, Susan Barrie Aiken, Esquire and Judi S. Foley, Esquire) have been hard at work for you. The Call for Presenters was distributed on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - right on schedule! If you did not receive it, call the CP Cal delegate(s) for your Practice Group and/or contact Paula Jackson at paula@gneo.net. You won't want to miss the opportunity to be a presenter at this year's forum. Deadline for submissions is October 7, 2010. Don't hesitate, contact us now with your proposals!
As you know, the annual Celebration is the single fundraising event of the year for CP Cal. A prospectus was distributed on August 23, 2010. If you did not receive the prospectus, please contact your CP Cal delegate(s) or Paula Jackson at paula@gneo.net. This year we are featuring a new fundraising opportunity, in addition to sponsorship, advertising and exhibits: a silent auction!! Please let us know what you wish to donate to the silent auction by contacting one of our fundraising chairs: Warren Sacks at wsacks@wzwlw.com, Hal Bartholomew at Hal@DivorceWithRespect.com or Susan Campbell at susan@bvfinancialresources.com. You can also help out by contacting local businesses, Collaborative "supporters" and your local board of directors and forwarding to them the Sponsorship, Exhibitor and Advertiser Opportunities.
And, for the second year, the CP Cal Board has approved $2,500 in Matching Grant credits to be applied towards individual registration fees for CP Cal Celebration. The Matching Grant credit is equal to the grant provided by the local practice group to individual registrants, up to a maximum of $150. Criteria for a registrant to receive a CP Cal Matching Grant credit are set and monitored by the local practice group. Details about the program will follow, but we wanted to give you advance notice so that you can include this option as you consider your participation and contribution.
The Fabulous Ultratones have been contracted to entertain us with their updated and "guaranteed to get you on the dance floor" list of musical selections! They have a fabulous female and male vocalist; three horn players, drums, and a keyboardist. Check them out at http://www.gigmasters.com/rock/TheFabulousUltratones/. Check out the lead female vocalist's rendition of Come Away with Me! The dinner/dance scheduled for Saturday night will be an opportunity for all to let their hair down after a stimulating and beneficial full day of networking, workshops and captivating plenaries.
Oh, and if you're interested in a golf tournament, please contact Judi Foley at foley@jsflaw.com. If enough people are interested, we will add this to the agenda.
See you in April! |
| UCLA Shines Spotlight on Domestic Violence Issues:
Seeking Professionals with DV Experience in Collaborative Cases |
by Mary Pence, as published in the Collaborative Connection, August 2010
The Uniform Collaborative Law Act ("UCLA"), approved unanimously by the Uniform Laws Commission ("ULC") in the summer of 2009 and now in the process of being introduced and passed in the states, includes provisions with regard to a "Coercive or Violent Relationship" [1] in the Collaborative process. Section 15 of the UCLA sets out the Collaborative lawyer's duty to "make reasonable inquiry" about the prospective party's history of a coercive or violent relationship, both at the outset and throughout the case. Where the Collaborative lawyer finds such a history, the lawyer must ensure that the client requests participation in the Collaborative process and that the client's safety can be adequately protected during the process.
In response to the approval of the Act, the IACP has created a subcommittee to develop both a recommended screening protocol and other "Best Practices" for Collaborative cases where domestic violence is an issue. The subcommittee is chaired by Mary S. Pence, a Collaborative practitioner from Washington, D.C. and an Observer to the work of the Drafting Committee, and includes Michael P. Johnson, Desmond Ellis, Toni Cavanaugh Johnson, Mary Ann Dutton, Jolie Weinberg, Kathleen M. O'Connor, andDavid Fink.
The subcommittee is looking for Collaborative practitioners who have handled Collaborative cases in which coercive or violent relationships presented as an issue in the case. If you are such a practitioner (either legal or mental health expertise is sought), the subcommittee would like to interview you. Please email Mary Pence at mpence@FTLF.com.
[1] This term of art was suggested by Rebecca Henry, Esquire, staff person for the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence and an Observer to the work of the Drafting Committee for a Uniform Collaborative Law Act. Ms. Henry is also a consultant to the DV subcommittee. |
| CP Cal Tool Box, a Resource for All | |
by Leslee Newman
On July 10, 2010, at the annual retreat for the CP Cal Board of Directors, the CP Cal Tool Box Task Force was born to gather and create public education information, advertising ideas, and to circulate form documents, materials and protocols that have been created and/or used by Collaborative professionals throughout the state. The purpose of the Tool Box Task Force is at least twofold. First, to share with one another ideas, documents, and materials that have already been developed, tested, and used. Second, to create a central theme or motto that would be used in the development and distribution of public information and advertising in all parts of California to provide a consistent branding message.
To achieve the first goal, members of the Task Force sent letters to each of the CP Cal groups in early August asking the CP Cal delegates of each group to circulate the letter and to encourage participation and contributions from their practice group. The letter described the creation of multiple Tool Box folders which will eventually reside in the Member Section of the CP Cal website, and which could include the following:
Public Education, including:
Display/Media/Movie Theater Advertising
Publication Advertising
TV/Radio Public Information Spots
Press Releases
Social Networking
Presentations/Speeches
Talking Points
Brochures
Marketing Plans
Video Programs
Survey Data
For the Practitioner, including:
Website Templates, Links, and Articles
Group Protocols
CP Lifecycle
Teambuilding Tools
Surveys
Sample Meeting Agendas
Case Debriefing Checklists
Data Collection Forms.
Members of the CP Cal Public Education Committee also met in a second retreat on July 17, 2010 to develop a theme for California Collaborative Practice, and to form sub-committees which would utilize this theme in print, electronic media, motion picture advertising, etc. The work of these various subcommittees is now underway.
Compiling, creating, and collecting the information and materials which will fill the Tool Box folders of the CP Cal website is an ambitious project. It requires the support and assistance of each practitioner and practice group. Please donate any public education or practitioner documents, materials, or ideas to this project. You can start by contacting the CP Cal delegate(s) in your practice group, or Susan Campbell at susan@bvfinancialresources.com. |
| CP Cal Public Education Retreat | |
by Len Weiler
On July 17, 2010, CP Cal President Kathleen O'Connor and CP Cal's Public Education Committee (PEC) convened a "Public Education Retreat" in Oakland, California. Members of NorCal PEC and SoCal PEC, and others who had been active on the PEC committee were invited to attend. We had a fabulous turnout of 19 individuals from throughout the state (seven from Southern California and twelve from Northern California) including President Kathleen, immediate past president George Richardson, and President-elect Randy Cheek, as well as CP Cal PEC co-chairs Leslee Newman and Len Weiler. We met for approximately 6 1/2 hours.
Our charge was to begin framing a theme and an approach for a unified and coordinated statewide marketing/public education campaign, which could be implemented across multiple media: display advertising (such as airport posters, billboards, etc.), other print advertising (such as in newspapers or magazines), radio commercials and/or public service spots, movie theater ads, and/or Internet marketing. Ultimately, we wanted to develop public education materials for use across the state, regionally, and/or by local practice groups.
Our discussions and conversations were animated and wide ranging, including an examination of who our target audience is, what Collaborative Practice values should be emphasized in marketing materials, and what approach might be most adaptable to getting the multiple facets of our message across in different media formats.
Ultimately, the retreat participants approved a "tagline" or slogan that we felt captured the Collaborative message well and had strong marketing potential. We agreed that this slogan/tagline should be incorporated in all of our marketing efforts, regardless of media. The tagline is: Collaborative Practice: A Different Better Way to Divorce.
We discussed what the most important and viable forms of marketing CP Cal and/or individual Collaborative Practice groups would want to pursue in the future. The regional PECs and some practice groups have already initiated or investigated some of these, including advertising in movie theaters, radio commercials, and posters/print advertising. It was decided that we would form several task forces to further investigate the practical issues relating to use of these media and, as appropriate, to prepare marketing/public education materials for each that could be used "off the shelf" by local groups or regional groups. These task forces are: Print Media, Movie Theaters, Radio Advertising, Internet and Video (including YouTube and public access television).
The group then turned to developing a framework for presenting Collaborative Practice to the public in a public education campaign and, ideally, across these various media platforms. Several ideas were developed, and it was decided to delegate the final choice to the Print Task Force, which was designated the leading task force to develop our thematic approach in the process of developing a print ad campaign. The other task forces will follow the same thematic approach in their work.
Subsequent to the retreat, the Print/Theme Task Force has met several times, and settled on the framework/format originally proposed late last year by Berkeley Consulting Group at UC Berkeley. Our marketing material will begin with (or otherwise incorporate) the phrase: Collaborative Divorce Means:, followed by a succinct message emphasizing some aspect or value of the Collaborative process. For example, Collaborative Divorce Means: Children Aren't Forced to Make Adult Decisions; or, Collaborative Divorce Means: A Private, Confidential Process for Resolving Disputes Respectfully; or, Collaborative Divorce Means: Never Having to Say I'll See You in Court. Each of these iterations will be accompanied by a photograph or other graphic illustrating the theme. In fact, the task force has already developed two prototype ads and is working on more.
Meanwhile, the other task forces are gearing up to follow through on their respective tasks. As this is written, it is not known whether these initiatives will formally get underway this fall or early in 2011. This is a very exciting project. We will keep you posted. |
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New Member Highlight: Nevada County Collaborative Divorce Practice Group |
Our newest member of CP Cal is Nevada County, with 13 members. For additional information about this group, click here, or contact Charma Pipersky. | |
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| Join CP Cal on LinkedIn | |
CP Cal has its very own LinkedIn group and we want every member of CP Cal to join.
There are currently over 50 members who have already joined and if you are one of them, you can send an invitation to everyone else in your practice group.
To do so, log in to LinkedIn, choose CP Cal as your group, click on Members, and then click Invite Others on the upper right corner. Enter all the email addresses for your practice group and remember to mention it at your meetings as well. | |
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| Thank you to our Celebration VI Sponsors to date | |
Platinum Sponsors
* Collaborative Family Law Group of San Diego
* Collaborative Family Law Professionals of Marin
Silent Auction Donors
* Two nights at 4-BR beach house in Aptos, CA (Ann Buscho, member of Collaborative Family Law Professionals of Marin)
* Gift basket from the USS Midway Museum (Larry Gilbert, President of Event Network headquartered in San Diego) | |
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IACP Resources and 11th Annual Forum in October |
IACP is a great resource for the Collaborative Practice Community and offers webinars and phone bridges to keep us informed about what is happening in the larger community.
Check out the Resource page, and scroll to the bottom to see all resources available.
And don't forget to sign up for the 11th Annual Forum in October to be held in Washington DC. The focus this year is Creating the Collaborative Connection: Commitment, Competence and Community (click here to register online). | |
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About CP Cal |
Collaborative Practice California is a statewide organization of Collaborative Practice groups. We are an interdisciplinary volunteer organization. For details on how you can become involved in CP Cal, see your local Delegate. | |
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