CIVIL COLLABORATIVE LAW TRAINING

To those of you who have kept an eye on my various blogs over the last few months, I have mentioned my involvement with collaborative law.  

While many folks may be familiar with collaborative law only in the family law context, the principles of collaborative practice can be applied in any one of a number of legal contexts.

In fact, the local collaborative practice group, CLASP, has a civil law committee and they are presenting a civil practice focused, basic collaborative law training on March 17th and 18th. This will focus on the use of collaborative practice in the civil law context, which can include contract disputes, employment issues, resolution of estate claims, and many other non-family law related issues. 

This training counts as the basic training necessary for attorneys looking to join CLASP and can also provide existing CLASP members with further information regarding application of the collaborative process to other areas of law. 

For those who are not familiar with the collaborative process, in essence, all parties involved agree that they do not go to court.  Not only are they agreeing that they do not want to go to court, they actually specifically sign a contract saying they will not.  They hire specially trained attorneys who have agreed to adhere to collaborative guidelines in lieu of running to court over every little upset. 

These collaboratively trained attorneys appreciate and acknowledge the toll that litigation can take on people and the fact that many issues can be resolved more quickly and more efficiently through a cooperative exchange of information and an open dialogue. 

The collaborative attorneys and their clients are assisted in this dialogue by a collaborative coach, a trained mental health professional whose role it is to facilitate a dialogue between the parties, as well as their counsel, with the goal of reaching a resolution that is reasonable and acceptable to everyone involved.  

The agreement to stay out of court is taken so seriously that in the event the collaborative process falls apart, the parties are actually required to find new attorneys if they want to litigate their claims. As a result of this, most collaborative cases stay collaborative and ultimately resolve that way. 

Any attorneys who are interested in learning more about collaborative law should look into the upcoming civil training.  Not only is collaborative law a growing field of practice, but the two-day training provided is a very cost effective means of obtaining a year’s worth of CLE credits in just two days, pending approval.  Please feel free to review the information below,  visit CLASPLAW.ORG  and contact me or other CLASP members for more information about registering.

Two-Day Civil Collaborative Law Training

By: Marc O. Sheridan, Esquire

When:              March 17th & 18th, 

 Time:               Registration/Check-In is at 8:15  a.m.

Thursday and Friday morning. Light continental breakfast provided.

Training begins promptly at 8:30 a.m on Thursday and Friday and the day ends at 5:00 p.m.

Where:            One Mellon Center 500 Grant Street

Third Floor Conference Center Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Cost:               $500 Early Bird before 1/15/2016

$550 after 1/15/2016, $450 for CLASP Members

CLASP is pleased to be offering a Two-Day Civil Collaborative Law Training conducted by Marc O. Sheridan, Esquire, a practicing Litigator, Collaborative Attorney, Mediator  and Collaborative Trainer. For over fifteen years, Attorney Sheridan has represented clients in various employment and civil matters in the New York City area.  He is a member of the New York State   Bar Association ADR Section and Collaborative Practice Committee, the American Bar   Assoc.Dispute Resolution Section, the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), and the Global Collaborative Law Council.

Fee Includes course materials, continental breakfast, lunch &  snack.

Pennsylvania CLE credits to be provided, pending  approval.

 Please note: registration will be limited and is available on a first come/first served   basis.

You can also register on-line at  www.clasplaw.org