In 2003, the Los Angeles County South Bay area collaborative practice group known as A Better Divorce began its continuing tradition of holding a retreat every two years. The accompanying photo shows the group in 2003 participating in our first retreat.
The key to an effective collaborative divorce process is trust, and the group recognized early on that a biennial retreat would be a key building block in establishing trust among the professionals in the group—the attorneys, financial consultants, and mental health professionals. (Trust among ourselves is the foundation to establishing trust with our clients.) It has proved true, and virtually 100% attendance among these busy professionals has been the rule ever since.
Generally, these retreats have worked like this: Friday afternoon we golf or spa or find something fun to do. Friday dinner is a group ice-breaker, perhaps enhanced by our three accomplished guitarists. Saturday is a long working day, typically with a paid, widely recognized retreat leader or collaborative practice trainer. Saturday night is small group dinners. Sunday morning is another work session, intended to direct the lessons of the retreat into group action plans for the next two years.
Our goal in this trust-building commitment is not only to enhance our professional lives and relationships, but most of all to enhance our client relationships so that we can effectively meet our clients’ needs. We’ve completed over 400 cases since our 2003 retreat and can rightfully claim that our commitment continues unabated. We will be back in a retreat in early 2022, making sure that our continuing commitment to our community remains a mission of service at the highest level.
A Better DivorceTM is an interdisciplinary group that is committed to non-court, non-confrontational solutions for family law matters.
We provide you with access to qualified professionals who can help you make informed decisions about your options for an amicable, no-court divorce. Contact us today!
Note: This information is general in nature and should not be construed as legal/financial/tax/or mental health advice. You should work with your attorney, financial, mental health or tax professional to determine what will work best for your situation.