This year’s Annual State Bar Collaborative Law Course is scheduled to take place in Austin on March 22 to 23 at the newly renovated AT&T Conference Center. The Planning Committee is excited to announce that two of our own Texas collaborative practitioners will be Friday’s key note speakers for the conference. For those who attended the conference two years ago, you will well remember the presentation by Jennifer Leister and Carie Silvestri, educating all of us about the importance of a Child … [Read more...]
Collaborative Law Conference March 22 & 23, 2018
The Collaborative Law conference will be held at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin. Rhonda Cleaves is the Course Director and Amy Lambert is the Assistant Course Director this year. The keynote speaker for Thursday is Peter Robinson. Mr. Robinson is the Managing Director of the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University and will be presenting advanced negotiation techniques for collaborative practitioners, including an interactive workshop. The keynote speakers … [Read more...]
Lessons from Hurricane Katrina following Harvey’s Impact from Madeleine Landrieu
The Dean of the Loyola College of Law in New Orleans, Madeleine Landrieu, last week sent out this message to the Loyola Alumni and friends recalling assistance that came to New Orleans from the Texas legal community following Hurricane Katrina. As you may recall, in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures in New Orleans, the University of Houston and its Law Center opened their arms and classrooms to our students and faculty, allowing us to preserve that academic semester. … [Read more...]
Meet New CDT Board Member Julie Quaid
Name: Julie Head Quaid Date and Place of Birth: February 22, 1958 in Waxahachie, Texas Family: Husband-Chuck Quaid; Son and Daughter in law-Christopher and Erin Farish; Daughter-Alex Quaid; and Grandson-Carson Farish Education: BA –Austin College 1978; JD – Southern Methodist University School of Law 1981 Firm Name: Quaid Farish, LLC Member of Collaborative Divorce Texas since: 2004 I started practicing Collaboratively because: As a family lawyer, I saw families being destroyed by … [Read more...]
Meet Board Member Mickey Gayler
Name: Mickey Gayler Date and Place of Birth: 1/31/54 - Phoenix, Arizona Family: Married, 2 children, 1 grandchild Education: A.B., Occidental College, 1975 Master of Clowning, Ringling Bros. Clown College J.D., Vanderbilt Law School, 1989 Firm Name: Law Office of Michael L. Gayler, PLLC Member of Collaborative Divorce Texas since: 2008 I started practicing Collaboratively because: It just made too much sense not to. What I like best about this job: Not having to do much by the Rules … [Read more...]
Meet Lonnie J. Broussard, CFP CDFA – Presenter for Advanced Training June 23
Lonnie is a Navy Veteran who has served the Hampton Roads area of Virginia as an investment advisor since 1986. He is transitioning to Virginia Financial Planning in preparation for retirement. Lonnie is a Registered Representative with United Planner’s Financial Services of America and serves individual and small business clients in Financial Planning, Retirement Planning, and Portfolio Management. He also works as a neutral financial professional in Collaborative Divorce and as a Divorce … [Read more...]
Meet Barbara A. Burr, J.D. – Presenter for Advanced Training June 23
Barbara specializes in family matters. After several years in litigation practice, she received training in Collaborative Law in 2006 and has been building a collaborative practice since. She has conducted several trainings in collaborative law, including Basic Collaborative Practice, Mediation, and Interest-Based Negotiation. In 2010, Barbara and three other collaborative professionals opened the Collaborative Practice Center of Greater Washington to change the way people resolve disputes. She … [Read more...]
About Lisa Herrick, Ph.D. – Presenter for Advanced Training June 23
Lisa is a licensed clinical psychologist who works with children, families, and couples. Her practice is focused on helping families improve their relationships, and when necessary navigating separation and divorce. Lisa is a Collaborative Coach and Child Specialist and has completed more than 140 collaborative cases. She has trained collaborative professionals throughout the U.S. and has co-authored Navigating Emotional Currents in Collaborative Divorce, A Guide for Enlightened Team Practice, … [Read more...]
Join the Credentialing Class of 2018!
Applications for the Collaborative Divorce Texas 2018 Master Credentialed and Credentialed Collaborative Professional class are due August 31, 2017. The application, requirements and FAQs/Instructions are all found on the CDT website under the Credentialing Tab. The new class of Master Credentialed and Credentialed Collaborative Professionals will be announced at the Collaborative Law Course in March 2018. Achievement of this designation demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of … [Read more...]
Meet Board Member Cindi Graham
Name: Cindi Barela Graham Date and Place of Birth: 2/11/64 Washington, D.C. Family: Perry=hubby; Jennifer=daughter (32); Lex=son (30) & wife Bennet; Joey=son (28) & wife Devenie. Education: Texas Tech University, 1986; University of Texas School of Law, 1990 Firm Name: Law Office of Cynthia Barela Graham Member of Collaborative Divorce Texas since: Maybe 2010? I started practicing Collaboratively because: I am tired of fighting and destroying families and I want to … [Read more...]
Meet Board Member Mike Benaglio
Name: Michael Benaglio (Mike) Date and Place of Birth: August 14, 1959, San Manuel, Arizona Family: Married 36 years to Debbie Benaglio, Two boys - Cal Benaglio and his wife Kassi, their two kids Caden 4½ and Ella 3; Race Benaglio and his wife Caitlin. Education: University of Arizona Accounting Major Firm Name: The Benaglio Group, LLC Member of Collaborative Divorce Texas since: April 14, 2007 I started practicing Collaboratively because: I believe the family has a better … [Read more...]
Spring Conference March 2-3, 2017
The Tenth Annual Collaborative Law Conference will be held in Dallas March 2-3, 2017 at the Westin Galleria Hotel. Course Director Julie H. Quaid has assembled an all-star cast of presenters this year. Our president Camille Milner will discuss the State of the Union, Jack Emmott, III will share his wisdom on making collaborative law a healing process, Scott Clarke will discuss team dynamics, Keith Maples will share experiences as a neutral collaborative mediator, Kristin Algert will discuss … [Read more...]
2017 Spring Conference Keynote Speakers
The State Bar Collaborative Law Spring Conference will be on March 2-3, 2017, at the Dallas Westin Galleria hotel. Course Directors Julie Quaid and Rhonda Cleaves are delighted to highlight two esteemed keynote speakers: Dr. Donna Hicks, working at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and author of Dignity: The Role it Plays in Resolving Conflict, will share her definition of dignity – what it is and what it is not; the basic elements of dignity; and how to … [Read more...]
Financial Report – December 2016
We are currently moving along with our marketing campaigns which are showing early signs of success. This has been a group effort, with the emphasis on spreading the Collaborative Divorce message. Financially, funds to make this happen primarily are a result of the dues from membership. Unless membership is running at over 300, most likely we are pulling from precious reserves. Currently, membership is averaging 275. I often hear from professionals with an interest in the Collaborative … [Read more...]
2016 – Year in Review
2016 has been an incredible year of change for Collaborative Divorce in Texas. This year of change was designed to re-energize the movement in Texas and to move toward the goal of Collaborative Divorce becoming the preferred method of divorce in Texas. It has been a challenging and exhausting year for all of you and particularly your Board of Directors but thankfully, all our collective efforts are starting to show signs of bearing fruit. Here are 8 major changes that took place in 2016. #1 … [Read more...]
How to Update Your CDT Profile
Make sure you update your Collaborative Divorce Texas website profile, and keep it current. In the top right corner, find the “Login” link. Click there. Login in with your UserName or e-mail address on file and password. Once logged in, you will see a red bar at the top of the page. A new box will appear in the right hand sidebar that says “You are logged in now.” Navigate to your professional profile. In the navigation menu, mouse-over “Find a Professional” and choose attorney, … [Read more...]
How Far We’ve Come! (An MHP Looks Back at Her Path to Collaborative Law)
This blog post is from Syd Sharples, LCSW, an Austin-based Mental Health Professional (MHP) and therapist in Austin. She sits on the Board of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas. It was 2005, and there I was, sitting in the jury box at the Travis County courthouse. In my ongoing efforts to develop my private therapy practice and identify referral sources in the legal community, I’d come across an attorney who was eager to recruit me to a new kind of divorce process. Would I come to a … [Read more...]
