Sue
Thank you for your contribution. I could not agree more.
I have had similar experiences with potential clients who when involved in
open discussion of the process options, tend to choose mediation or
collaborative. Anything but litigation seems to be the choice of
alternatives.
The Collaborative Law Institute of Georgia (CLIG), from the outset, included
mediators in our training and as part of our interdisciplinary team.
Initially all professionals were required to take at least a one day course
in mediation skills before they could take collaborative training. The one
day course was offered at a reasonable cost. Unfortunately, this is no
longer required as a pre-resquite for training. I think that it is a
credit to your state council to recognize the importance of mediation
training and offer mediation training at a reasonable costs to
interdisciplinary members. I hope that we will strive to raise the bar for
collaborative professionals and make mediation training a requirement.
I have noticed a distinct difference in the skill levels of collaborative
professionals who have completed mediation training and those who have not,
i.e. those trained in mediation bring much more to the collaborative process
I am reminded of a recommendation from Stu Webb the first time I heard him
speak of collaborative law -- Stu said something to the effect of "you
should get training in mediation." Stu's words continue to ring true.
Nora
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
