MINNEAPOLIS - (Business Wire) On Saturday, October 24, 2009, divorce attorneys and other professionals from around the world will honor attorney Stu Webb for his contributions to the practice of law at the 10th International Academy of Collaborative Professionals Educational Forum, which will be held in Minneapolis. Stu will receive worldwide recognition for his pioneering efforts to family law during an evening celebration at the Marriott City Center Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Stu Webb’s initial vision to adopt a respectful, collaborative alternative to emotionally damaging litigation has spread around the world. Today, more than 3,000 professionals from 20 countries are known to use the Collaborative approach to divorce. “Collaborative family practice began when I told my clients that litigation would be off limits. Instead, we would work together outside of court to resolve divorce matters, in a non-adversarial manner. It is gratifying to know that this approach has helped couples around the world. It is humbling to receive this honor from my colleagues,” said Webb.
“As a family law practitioner and former judge, I can’t thank Stu Webb enough for the work he’s done in developing the collaborative divorce process,” said A.M. (Sandy) Keith, former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. “This unique process almost always eliminates the need for adversarial court hearings, reduces cost and helps the parties to resolve their issues in a humane and collaborative manner, so they can put their past issues behind them and look to the future.”
Keeping Divorcing Couples Out of Court
After nearly 20 years of practicing family law in Edina, Minnesota, Stu considered closing his business because of the devastating emotional toll that traditional divorce took on his clients. He found that while some clients could not resolve their disputes without a court battle, there were many others who wanted to divorce in a peaceful and respectful manner that would mitigate the toll of divorce on each other and on their children. Those were the types of clients that Stu wanted to serve, and from this goal, the Collaborative Practice approach was born.
The heart of Collaborative Practice is a Participation Agreement, signed by both spouses and their attorneys, in which all parties agree not to go to court. Central to the Agreement is a withdrawal provision that requires both attorneys to withdraw from the case if the collaborative process is unsuccessful. Remarkably, this only happens in about 10 percent of Collaborative cases. The withdrawal provision is what keeps attorneys and their clients out of court. Instead, through a series of prescribed meetings involving a team of professionals based on the client’s unique circumstances, the team works to address needs around: asset distribution, finances, mental health, child custody and parenting. The team helps the clients focus on moving forward rather than on rehashing the past and assigning blame.
Stu Webb has led seminars around the country and around the world and has taught other practitioners how to use the Collaborative divorce techniques.
Stu served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War then went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin. As a registered pharmacist, he owned and operated a small drug store in Rolfe, Iowa for five years before going to law school where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Iowa Law Review and graduated first in his class. Stu lives with his wife and children in Edina, Minnesota, and continues to practice Collaborative family law.
About the Collaborative Law Institute of Minnesota
http://www.collaborativelaw.org/
More than 100 collaborative practitioners are members of the Collaborative Law Institute of Minnesota. Our membership includes attorneys, mediators, mental health professionals, child psychologists, and financial planners who are available to serve families in the areas in which they need the most help.
Collaborative Practice is an international network of attorneys and other professionals who believe it is important to create healthier, more holistic solutions for families facing separation or divorce.
Collaborative Law Institute of Minnesota
Ann Fleischauer, 952-237-5784
annfleischauer@yahoo.com
