October 2008 Newsletter

Message from the President

Colleagues:
Over the past year the Collaborative Law Institute Board of Directors as well as a core group of members worked to create an updated strategic plan for our organization. Now we need your feedback. Please review the draft and make your comments directly to me at ann@mnlaw.us. We will be formalizing the plan for presentation at the Annual Meeting in December. Thank you in advance for your participation!

Submitted by Ann Schaibley
Click here to read the Full Strategic Plan

The Collaborative Pulse
Reconciliation. One of those words we almost understand. One of those words with several different meanings. One of those words that can confound and confuse.

It is confounded by its use in religious terms as the sacrament of penance. It is a critical theological notion in all of the Abrahamic religious faiths, particularly important to Evangelical Christians as part of building a personal relationship with God. (See: Charles (Chip) Hauss, Reconciliation, September 2003).

In recent years there has been a proliferation of writings on reconciliation. They have considered a number of definitions, and apply in a variety of circumstances. John Paul Lederach includes, in his treatment of the term, four critical components - truth, justice, mercy, and peace, - which appear to be common to many of the definitions that have been generated.

Submitted by Bruce D. Peck
Click here to read the complete story

Client Questionnaire Forms

The Team Committee has been working on standardized forms that are now available to all CLI-MN members to use. We hope that you find these helpful. In the Monthly Expense spreadsheet, the cells which contain "formulas" have been locked to prevent clients from inadvertently making a change and causing an error. If you are handy with excel and desire to "unprotect" so you can modify yourselves, the password is "climn". Please note that this Monthly Expense version has been revised since last sent out.

Client Questionnaire: Dissolution - (this could easily be shared between team members, so clients do not need to complete multiple forms).

Client Questionnaire: Monthly Expenses - (this contains a 6-month worksheet to obtain historical information; data flows into another spreadsheet which can be used to project future expenses).

Client Questionnaire: Optional Information - (this contains information which may be more sensitive and may just be kept in the attorney file).

Client Questionnaire: With Optional Information - (this is simply one file which contains both the main questionnaire as well as the optional questions, all in one electronic file).

Shrink Rap: I to We

It was a few minutes before a joint meeting, the clients were in the waiting room and, working as the mental health professional neutral on the team, I was "pre-briefing" with the lawyers in the conference room. I was worried about a volatile meeting. One client was threatening to dump the process and both clients were stuck in rigid, position-based communications. He wanted the house and the kids, and she wanted to move the kids to a neighboring state to start a new job, and they both wanted the cabin! It was tempting to see the situation as make-or-break for a collaborative divorce.

Apparently I was not the only one thinking this way. One of the attorneys entered the room and declared something like, "If my client does not get what she wants, she's going to bolt, and it's a reasonable request anyway. We need to get your client to back off and agree!" Does that sound familiar?

Submitted by Brain Burns
Click here to read the complete story

Welcome New CLI Members 2008

Jan Holman Blakeley – Financial Professional
Jennifer Dunn-Foster – Attorney
Theresa Gerlach – Attorney
Sigurd Hoppe – Psychological Professional
Mary Laing Kingston – Attorney
Randall Smith – Attorney, Mediator

We look forward to getting to know each one of you. Your contributions and abilities are much welcomed and appreciated.

New Member Spotlight

For more information about our new members Click here to read their spotlight page.

Member Support and Development Initiative

The Membership Committee had an exciting and productive summer and we are looking forward to continuing our success this fall. Ben Gissleman organized a very successful picnic at Cantebury Downs. By all reports, the event was well organized and gave everyone a good opportunity to network and simply enjoy themselves.

A number of new members join the Collaborative Law Institute in recent months. Please keep an eye out for our new "New Member Spotlight" in future newsletters.

The Membership Committee is taking the show on the road! We have already made a presentation in Mankato and are in the process of scheduling presentations in Willmar and Owatonna. If you have ideas regarding other communities which we should target, please contact Brad Frago.

As we move into fall, now is a good time to make sure that you have all of the activity credits that you will need to renew your membership. There are many opportunities to receive activity credits, including attendance at regional group meetings. Everyone is encouraged to attend the regional group to which they have been assigned or any other regional group. Many regional groups announce their meetings on the CLI Listserve. You can also find a calendar of upcoming events, including regional group meetings, on the CLI website. If you have not signed up for the CLI Listserve, please go to the resources page on the CLI website for an instruction sheet.

Submitted by Brad Frago

Training Committee Update

The recent Linda Solomon training on the One Coach Model of collaborative team divorce was a success by all measures. This well-attended two-day intensive workshop received very positive feedback from attendees, who left with a clear understanding of the how-to's of coaching and the distinct advantages of the collaborative team process. The next introductory training on collaborative practice will incorporate some of the material from Solomon's workshop. That training is scheduled for Friday, October 24th.

One of our major projects over the next year will be a comprehensive updating of the entire "Nuts and Bolts" curriculum. The Training Committee is also exploring ways to streamline our video trainings to improve accessibility and potentially generate more income for CLI.

The results of the Training Survey sent over the listserv this summer are still being compiled. Thanks to everyone who participated. Our next committee meeting is Monday, September 29th in the small conference room at the Collaborative Alliance in Edina. Please join us and bring your training ideas and expertise.

Submitted by Deb Clemmensen

Pro Bono Initiative

There are currently two active CLI-VLN pro bono collaborative team cases in process. It has not been a problem to interest VLN clients in collaborative process, but it has been a challenge to enroll their spouse or partner. Until recently, VLN has done all the screening and contacting the other parent. The Pro Bono Initiative is now planning to take a more active role in directly communicating with both parents about collaborative team practice to try to increase enrollment. We are also working on ways to provide pro bono collaborative team services when one parent meets income requirements for VLN services and the other parent exceeds them.

We have a promising new Pro Bono project underway with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS). SMRLS identified a need for collaborative practice to assist with third party custody cases, and in consultation with their staff, we agreed that this could be a good fit. A CLI team has been assembled to work on the first case once the groundwork has been laid and the forms developed.

Mark Haase is doing groundwork on an exciting new child-centered project to expand the availability of collaborative team practice to pro bono and low bono clients. We will keep you updated.

Submitted by Deb Clemmensen