Collaborative Law Institute of Texas

Today is a day to celebrate the first meeting of the Collaborative Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, which took place at the State Bar Convention in Fort Worth this morning. Texas was the first state in the nation to pass legislation recognizing Collaborative Law as an alternative means of dispute resolution back in 2001. Now, the State Bar of Texas has taken a big step forward in providing a means to educate the public and the bar about what Collaborative Law is and how it can benefit people involved in family or civil disputes. On such an occasion, it seems appropriate to showcase a recent D Magazine article highlighting Collaborative Law and how it’s changing the face of divorce.

The article includes some intriguing revelations from CLI-TX member Janet Brumley, who contrasts how she litigated as a divorce attorney in a courtroom setting with how she now helps clients achieve goals more productively and peaceably in Collaborative Law — looking at the future rather than the past. Another CLI-TX attorney, Carla Calabrese, is also included in the article, addressing how having neutral professionals at Collaborative Law meetings helps balance the dynamic between the two clients.

The article focuses on a Dallas couple who sought a Collaborative Law divorce, Kristin and Rob McCollum. The article shows how Collaborative Law allowed them to have an amicable split which permitted the  best interests of their two children to be their focus. Kristin and Rob’s journey through a Collaborative Law divorce highlights the very best of what CLI-TX has to offer. They were also recently featured in an Ivanhoe Broadcast News segment on Collaborative Law, made available to TV stations across the U.S. Their story, and the fact that they’ve been able to maintain a friendship after their divorce, speaks powerfully to what Collaborative Law can do. We’re glad to see their story getting attention.

More importantly, other  people can be encouraged by the McCollums’ example.  Even difficult and important issues can be resolved in satisfactory ways when people are willing to think outside the box and try an approach other than litigation.