Hi everyone,

Autumn is in the air, at least in my part of the world, and that means two things for me: (1) the Green Bay Packers are back in action, and (2) conference season is here!

While IACP Forum will return in 2026 (watch for more news on that soon!), I’ll be attending several exciting events this October and November:

• Oct. 17–19: Collaborative Divorce Symposium, presented by CPCal, in Redwood City, California, USA
• 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

I hope to see you there!

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 the third Pillar: Adaptability. This month, I’m turning to the fourth: Open Communication.

Each of the Ten Pillars is a value statement—not listed in order of importance. The first four describe values we express through our work. Here’s the full statement:

Through Collaborative Practice, we keep communication open during the resolution process to build trust and understanding.
Collaborative Practice brings together professionals and clients in a team. When that team is functioning well, it creates a powerful environment for resolution. When it’s not, the stress can be overwhelming—for professionals and parties alike.

Open communication builds the trust and mutual understanding that a team needs to succeed. We embody this through team debriefs, planning sessions, transparency in information sharing, and direct, respectful dialogue.

When clients see trust modeled by the team, they often find the courage to trust the process—and each other—enough to resolve their conflict. This is a key distinction between Collaborative Practice and court-centered approaches.

Next month: Inclusivity.