Since Florida does not recognize same sex marriages, and some judges are refusing to grant same sex divorce, they thought that my name tag was referring to “gay divorce” as the next generation of divorce. What is that, like, gay divorce?”Īnd then it hit me: that’s what everyone else had been commenting on. The new name was meant to signify a few things: (i) our belief that collaborative practice is the evolution of family law, from a court-based adversarial process, to mediation where court battles remain an option, to a private dispute resolution process where the parties agreed from the beginning that it is not in their family’s best interest to ever have a judge – a total stranger – decide personal issues such as child custody in a very public setting (ii) our acknowledgement that divorce effects not just spouses but also their children, and the importance of parents maintaining a relationship even after they are divorced and (iii) our conviction that the collaborative process will one day become the prevalent method for resolving family disputes, and that the majority of divorce attorneys will agree not to put their clients through the indignity of a court-based divorce.Ī couple more people saw the name tag and had positive comments, and I thought to myself, “Wow, we are doing a really good job of spreading the word about our collaborative practice group.”īut then another person came up to me, saw the name tag, and said “Next Generation Divorce. In fact, last year we changed the name from the “Collaborative Divorce Institute of Tampa Bay.” I thanked the man, but I wasn’t really sure what he was referring to. Pete Pride festival goer saw my name tag and said, “Next Generation Divorce. Soon after I arrived at my booth on Sunday morning, a St. I happen to be Next Generation Divorce’s current president and, needless to say, I strongly support the organization’s drive to help folks resolve disputes respectfully through the collaborative process. Next Generation Divorce is comprised of over 100 caring attorneys, mental health professionals, and financial professionals dedicated to helping parents and divorcing spouses handle difficult issues amicably and with their dignity intact. I also had the chance to talk about collaborative family law, a private form of dispute resolution which I have used to help same sex partners amicably separate.Īt the pride festival, I was wearing a metal name tag that I received from my collaborative family law practice group, Next Generation Divorce. Petersburg, Florida, where I discussed topics such as adoptions, name changes, and LGBT child custody rights. Last Sunday, I met a lot of people who had a lot of questions regarding their parental and family law rights.