Charlotte Collaborative Divorce Professionals (CCDP), which is the local collaborative family law group, had it’s last meeting of the year on Thursday evening.
Ashley-Nicole Russell inspired me to continue to advocate for collaborative method when helping couples going through divorce.
CCDP brought in an author and collaborative family law attorney to speak. Ashley-Nicole Russell shared her experiences running a collaborative family law practice with offices in Greenville, Raleigh and Atlantic City, NC.
In terms of commitment to collaborative practice, she was speaking to the choir in our group. However, she had a lot to offer with regards to statistics on what a contentious, court-room divorce battle can do to the children involved.
Her statistics showed that children of divorce have an increased chance of alcohol dependence and suicide, among other ill effects. Ashley-Nicole is on a mission to change the culture of divorce, especially since she experienced her own parents’ divorce and the trauma it brought to her life.
She encouraged us to “sell” the collaborative method shamelessly to our clients and other attorneys, because it is better for the family and especially for the children. She also offered some great advice on marketing the collaborative practice.
I wasn’t sure what we were in for when I decided to attend the dinner, but I left inspired. Since I began to practice collaboratively, I have always believed in its virtues, but it was nice to receive an inspiring pep talk from a fellow practitioner.