Premier trainer Sherrie Abney will be presenting a 3-day opportunity to learn the basics of Collaborative Law especially as it is applied to other than divorce matters.

1. Collaborative Law Section Co-Chairs Suzy Eckstein & Darcy Shoop
CLE: Civil and Commercial Applications - 3 Day Collaborative Law
Training!!
 Thursday, May 9, 2013, 12:30-5:00 p.m.
 Friday, May 10, 2013, 9:00-5:00 p.m.
 Saturday, May 11, 2013, 9:00-5:00 p.m.
Location: 27 West Jefferson Street, Rockville, MD 20850 map
Speaker: Sherrie R. Abney, Esq. of Global Collaborative Law Council
Collaborative Law is a confidential, voluntary process which allows parties and their attorneys to resolve
disputes without court intervention. Participants in the process have found that they are able to preserve
important business and personal relationships and significantly reduce the amounts of time, stress, and monetary
expense normally associated with litigation. In Maryland, throughout the United States, and around the world,
the collaborative process has been widely used in family law and is being used ever increasingly in other civil
matters including, but certainly not limited to, probate, employment, business, construction, and medical error.
In order to effectively participate in the collaborative process, lawyers must employ a skill-set different from
those they normally use. The purpose of this training is to introduce collaborative skills and demonstrate how
they are applied to the collaborative process in civil disputes (other than family law) as well as various other
forms of interest-based negotiation. Attendees will build collaborative skills through participation in interactive
lectures, group discussions, and role plays. This training will satisfy the requirements of the International
Academy of Collaborative Professionals for practice as a collaborative lawyer.
The focus of day one is on the basic elements of the collaborative process. In order to be better prepared for
group activities of the next two days, it is required that everyone without specific training in Civil Collaborative
Law attend day one. During days two and three, participants will apply the knowledge they gain in day one as
they work through the steps of the collaborative process in role plays, discussions regarding ethical problems,
examination of various negotiation tools, and the application of collaborative skills to all areas of their practice.
PLEASE NOTE: Even if you already have been collaboratively trained in the Family Law model, this training
is different and will enhance the development of a Civil Collaborative Law practice.
The Trainer: Sherrie R. Abney is a collaborative lawyer, facilitator, mediator, arbitrator, collaborative trainer
and adjunct professor of law at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. She was co-founder
and first chair of the Dallas Bar Association Collaborative Law Section and is past chair of the ADR Section of
the Dallas Bar. As a founding director of the Global Collaborative Law Council, she served as Vice President
of Education and Training for the organization from 2004 until 2012 and is currently Vice President in charge
of Grants. Sherrie has presented and trained in Ireland, Australia, England, Uganda, Argentina, as well as many
conferences in the U.S. and Canada. She serves on the Collaborative Law Advisory Council for the State Bar of
Texas, and the Collaborative Law Committee of the DR Section of the American Bar Association. She is the

2. author of Avoiding Litigation, A Guide to Civil Collaborative Law, and a text book entitled Civil Collaborative
Law, the road less traveled. She has also published numerous articles on resolving civil disputes with
Collaborative Law and interest-based negotiation.
Please note the following registration fees:
Members - $350 Non Members - $405
Food will be served all 3 days.
Click here to Register
IMPORTANT: For THIS SEMINAR ONLY, a hard copy of the materials will be provided on the
first day of the course.