By Robert Arthur, IACP President
Hi everyone,
I had a great time earlier this month at the Collaborative Divorce Symposium, hosted by CPCal in Redwood City, California! It was a pleasure meeting so many passionate Collaborative Professionals and hearing their thoughts on IACP’s new Strategic Plan. That event kicked off my fall tour of CP gatherings. More stops to come:
- Oct. 30–31: Civil Collaborative Law Conference, presented by GCLC, in New York, USA
- Nov. 6–9: Canadian Collaborative Rocky Mountain Conference, presented by Collaborative Professionals of Canada and Collaborative Divorce Alberta Association, in Banff, Alberta, Canada
- Nov. 13: 2025 Annual Meeting, Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin, Delafield, WI, USA
- Dec. 4–5: CLI Minnesota Forum 2025, Collaborative Law Institute of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
I hope to see you at one of these events!
As part of my Presidential year, I’ve been using this space to reflect on the Ten Pillars of Collaborative Practice. Last month, we explored Open Communication. This month's focus is our fifth Pillar: Inclusivity.
Each of the Ten Pillars is a value statement—not listed in order of importance. The last six describe values we express through our community. Here’s the full statement:
In line with the IACP mission, we are committed to creating a community that is inclusive of diverse perspectives, in recognition that we create a stronger Collaborative Practice model and professional community when we embrace the breadth of experience and insight from all.
This Pillar is longer than the others—intentionally so. “Inclusivity” is often listed as a goal without real operational meaning. We wanted to be specific: we grow stronger when we include diverse perspectives, whether from clients, between professionals, in practice groups, or while in leadership.
That’s not easy. It takes patience, active listening, and the courage to create space for voices that have not always been heard. I have not always gotten this right. But when we remind each other with love and respect, we live this Pillar fully.
Next month: Ethical Integrity.
