This week I attended the New Jersey Council of Collaborative Practice Groups annual dinner meeting with 84 of my NJ collaborative colleagues from all three disciplines. Our speaker was Ross M. Evans, Esquire, immediate past President of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, known as the IACP. I took away three points that can be helpful to […]
Divorce- Death, Birth or Both?
When the decision to divorce is finally made, many people grieve the death of their marriage. The loss of their partnership and their dream of a permanent and perfect white-picket-fence life leaves them shaken. Suddenly, it seems as if all the important events (for what seems to be the rest of their lives) will […]
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I am one of those people who annoyingly wishes folks a happy new year long after January 1st. After the middle of the month, odd looks remind me to move on. Before I do, however, I would like to reflect on last year’s collaborative progress in my office and in the […]
More than half were collaborative!
I recently totaled the number of divorce cases that were finalized to Judgment by my solo office in 2014. Out of fourteen (14) cases completed, eight (8) or 57% were collaborative cases with signed Participation Agreements. The cases finished were between 14 and 26 months old. As we enter the New Year, here’s a toast […]
Wonderful Memories of the 2014 IACP, Vancouver, Canada
How magnificent was the IACP Forum in Vancouver last month? It was GREAT! Nearly 500 collaborative professionals from a dozen countries met to learn, network and naturally- collaborate! It is difficult to put into words the energy and enthusiasm for the collaborative process that infuses everyone who attends. We had ten representatives from the State […]
Pilgrims and Collaborative Pioneers
A little known fact about me is that I am about the twenty-fifth generation and a direct descendent of Governor William Bradford who arrived here on the Mayflower in 1620. Before my marriage, my legal name was Joanne Sara Bradford Overholt and that’s the name on all my diplomas and licenses. Being a blood relative […]
Celebrating Passage of NJ’s Family Collaborative Law Act
On November 13, Asm. Patrick Diegnan was recognized for his outstanding leadership by the New Jersey Council of Collaborative Practice Groups at a reception held at Olio’s in Woodbridge. Asm. Diegnan was a prime sponsor and spearheaded passage of the New Jersey Family Collaborative Law Act (NJFCLA) in the State Legislature. The new law. P.L. […]
Daylight Savings Time is Here!
My family teases me that I am like a bird because I wake up when the sun rises and go to bed when the sun sets. I never subscribed to that old saying, “The early bird gets the worm” when I was young. I thrived on night classes and having breakfast at noon in college. […]
Wakened by Thunder
This past summer the Jersey Shore was hit with an unusually large number of extremely loud thunderstorms. One night, the thunder clap that woke me up was so loud that it set off a car’s alarm in the parking lot. Did the ground shake, or did I imagine that? Hearing the words, “I want a divorce” […]
Jersey Shore Collaborative Practice Group Keeps Growing
Tonight the Jersey Shore Collaborative Law Group will be having its semi-annual Invite a Professional Night meeting at Navoo Grill in Fair Haven, New Jersey. We are expecting 35 members and 10 guests.This large group which will bring with it lots of energy, knowledge and enthusiam to the collaborative practice at the Jersey Shore. New attorneys, mental […]
