CP Cal Annual Conference

Friday Pre-Conference Institutes
9:00AM – 4:00PM

PCI #1: “Money Talks. So Does Everything Else.” An Interdisciplinary Approach to Stock Options, RSUs, and Other Equity Compensation with Family Dynamics and Lasting Resolution as the End Goal
Friday 9:00AM – 4:00PM
Moderated by: Toriana Holmes, Ashley Andrews, J.D., Shane Reed, CPA/ABV, CFE, Dr. Carol Hughes, Ph.D., LMFT
Two lawyers, a neutral financial specialist, and a neutral mental health family specialist teach how skilled interdisciplinary collaborative teams address complex compensation issues using advanced conflict-resolution skills.

The family specialist illuminates how equity assets affect family dynamics, parenting decisions, and long-term wellbeing—ensuring outcomes are truly family-focused. Together, the team covers equity compensation mechanics, stock option and RSU taxation, property division treatment, income for support, disclosure strategy, case management, and valuation in troubled businesses where optionality matters.

Gain practical tools for accurate analysis, informed options for resolution, and family-focused outcomes.

PCI #2: When the Room Tilts: Holding the Still Center in Collaborative Practice
Friday 9:00AM – 4:00PM
Moderated by: Shawn Weber J.D., CLS-F and Vi Ballard
Let’s face it. There is a lot of chaos in the world today. Many of us walk into cases already off balance just from hearing the news on the way to work.

This institute helps you return to the Still Center, the calm and clear space in the eye of the storm where we Collaborators do our magic. From that grounded place, you can steady yourself, align your team, and offer calm presence to your clients. Learn how to hold the room when emotions run high and the process starts to tilt.

Friday Reception 4:00PM – 5:15PM

Friday Opening Plenary 5:30PM – 6:30PM

The Swimming Test – How I am learning to stay in my Lane
Presented by: Hon. Jackson Lucky, (Ret.)
A former family law judge reflects on what brought him to collaborative practice. From building a voluntary settlement conference program that settled 90% of cases for self-represented litigants, to learning that cookie-cutter solutions fit nobody, Judge Lucky shares what he saw from the bench — and why collaborative practitioners are doing what he spent his career trying to make happen.

A personal talk about beginnings, honesty, and the belief that the people closest to the problem are the best ones to solve it.

Friday Dine Around (No Host Dinner Various Restaurants) 7:00PM – 9:00PM

Saturday Workshops

Saturday Breakfast – On your own 8:00AM – 9:00AM

Workshop #1 (3 hours) When Lips Pass in the Night: What One Heard Is Not What the Other Meant
9:00AM – 12:15PM
Presented by: Shawn Weber JD, CLS-F and Jaye-Jo Portanova, MD
Collaborative cases often stall because parties are reacting to what they think was said rather than what was actually meant.

Assumptions fill the gaps, and conversations drift off course. This interactive workshop teaches a disciplined clarification and translation protocol that helps professionals diagnose the “miss,” surface underlying meaning, and guide clients toward workable proposals.

Participants will leave with practical tools they can use immediately to reduce escalation and strengthen forward movement.

Workshop #2 (3 hours): Protecting Unity in the Collaborative Team – The Splitting Syndrome
9:00AM – 12:15PM
Presented by: Camille S. Milner, J.D. David Bouschor II, J.D., Bruce Fredenburg, LMFT
The “Splitting Syndrome” was discovered by a group of four Collaborative Divorce professionals in a case nearly 20 years ago.

When they began to see it in multiple cases, they developed benchmarks or patterns of what it looks like and how to manage it. It is likely every professional who has handled Collaborative Divorce cases will see this in cases in which they have been involved.

Recognizing Splitting is just the first part of the challenge of this syndrome. We explore different personality types and relationship patterns that lend themselves to what we call “Splitting the Team.” We will then explain techniques to deal with the Splitting Syndrome and avoid the case opting out or “finishing ugly.” We will have demonstrations and small group role plays so that the attendees can take hope these skills.

Workshop #3 (1.5 hours): Acquiring the marital home – The hidden risks
9:00AM – 10:30AM
Presented by: Dar Mardan, REALTOR, CPA, DJ Bibb
This presentation helps divorce attorneys identify key risks when one spouse seeks to retain the marital home.

It covers valuation challenges, appraisal limitations, title defects, title insurance issues, tax exposure, insurance concerns, and property condition problems that may affect the fairness and practicality of a buyout. Attendees will gain a practical framework for spotting hidden liabilities, asking better questions, and helping clients make more informed decisions during settlement negotiations.

Workshop #4 (1.5 hours): Preparation is Key – An introduction to Professional Team Meetings, Pre-Briefing, and Debriefs
10:45AM – 12:15PM
Presented by: Diana L. Martinez, J.D., Dr. Carol Hughes, PhD, LMFT, Amy Clews, CPA, CDFA®, Patricia Van Haren, J.D.
In this introductory program, seasoned collaborative interdisciplinary professionals present a practical framework for strategically supporting couples through the collaborative process.

With a focus on pre-briefings, team meetings, and post-meeting debriefs, participants will learn how a well-coordinated professional team creates a solid, structured container from day 1 that empowers clients to navigate difficult decisions and move efficiently and effectively toward resolution — together.

Lunch 12:15PM – 1:00PM

Saturday 1:00 PM Plenary

Plenary (1 hour) Better Together: Creative Strategies for Introducing the Collaborative Team Model
1:00PM – 2:00PM
Presented by: Shannon Gunn Emery, J.D., Camille Milner, J.D., Bruce Fredenburg, MFT., Holly Brady, CFP, CFDS, CDFA, CDC, RCP
Prospective clients need more than an explanation — they need a vision.

Join a collaborative attorney, mental health professional, and financial neutral as they share inventive ways to introduce the collaborative process, highlight the strength of the interdisciplinary team, and inspire confidence in clients who are navigating one of the most difficult decisions of their lives.

Workshop #5 (3 hours): Estate Planning for All Divorce Clients
2:15PM – 5:30PM
Presented by: Patricia De Fonte, J.D. LLM., Peter Johnson, PFP, RIA, Wendy Acton, J.D., LLM, Nadya Spivack, J.D., Emilie Calhoun, J.D.
Estate planning can—and should—begin before a divorce petition is filed.

Once the ATROs are in place, asset transfers and planning options narrow significantly. But estate planning is about far more than who owns what today. In this panel led by experienced estate planning attorneys, you will learn what estate planning truly encompasses, how prenups and blended families affect inheritance, and how proactive planning strengthens both the Collaborative team and long-term client stability.

Workshop #6 (3 hours): SLIC Solutions: Setting Limits and Imposing Consequences for Parents and Professionals
2:15PM – 5:30 PM
Presented by: Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.
A new technique for setting limits and imposing consequences will be presented and discussed in depth.

Professionals will learn how to teach this approach to clients and use it themselves, such as helping parties negotiate agreements with consequences built in, such as lawyers and coaches setting limits on high-conflict individuals, and such as teaching parents to use with their children.

This session will be based on the speaker’s new book “SLIC Solutions™: Setting Limits and Imposing Consequences in 2½ Steps.”

Workshop #7 (1.5 hours): Two for None Special
2:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Presented by: Camille S. Milner, J.D., Shannon Gunn Emery, J.D., Bruce Fredenburg, LMFT, Holly Brady, CFP, CFDS, CDFA, CDC, RCP
What if you could get both parties to choose the Collaborative Family Law (CFL) process from the beginning?

Camille, Shannon and Bruce will present a method of intake in which the lawyer receiving the initial call sets up a meeting for free with another lawyer, often two coaches, often two other neutrals (financial and parenting) and the couple. In this setting mimicking CFL they go over options for resolving their issues. Two lawyers (and neutrals) for the price of none.

Saturday 4:00PM – 5:30PM Networking Room

Saturday Dinner, Eureka Awards & Party 5:30PM – 10:00 PM

Reception 5:30PM – 6:15PM,
Dinner & Eureka Awards 6:15PM – 7:00PM
Entertainment 7:00PM – 10:00PM

Sunday Workshops

Sunday Continental Breakfast 8:00AM – 8:45AM

Workshop 8 (1.5 hours): When Home Is the Heart of the Case: Early Identification of Red Flags in Real Property Disputes
8:45AM – 10:15AM
Presented by: Melinda Elmer, CDRE®, Ty Supancic, J.D., James Walton, PhD, LMFT, Troy Martin, CLA®, CDLP®, CRMP®
This advanced panel uses a case study to explore how financial, legal, and mental health professionals can collaborate early to address complex property challenges — whether community or separate — before they derail the process.

Panelists will examine real-world red flags, interdisciplinary intervention strategies, and the foundational agreements that protect families and preserve options. Attendees will leave with practical tools for aligning their team from the outset.

Workshop 9 (1.5 hours): Adjusting our mirrors – Evidence-based strategies to mitigate our blind spots
8:45 AM – 10:15AM
Presented by: Hon. Jack Lucky, (Ret.)
We all have blind spots. Research shows that implicit associations — mental shortcuts we don’t see — affect how we perceive clients, assign credibility, and frame options.

This workshop uses a validated research instrument to help you measure your own associations, then equips you with evidence-based strategies to mitigate their effects. Through an interactive exercise designed for collaborative teams, you will practice recognizing bias triggers in your work and leave with concrete tools to check your assumptions before they shape your clients’ outcomes.

Plenary (1.5 hours): When the Foundation Cracks: Navigating Difficult Cases in Collaborative Practice
10:30AM – 12:00PM
Presented by: Patricia Van Haren, J.D. Diana L. Martinez, J.D. Dr. Carol Hughes, PhD, MFT. Dawn Strachan, CDFA®, RLP®, RICP®
The collaborative process works best when professionals and clients are well-prepared from the first conversation — but even the most carefully built cases can hit turbulence.

This closing plenary brings together collaborative attorneys, divorce coaches, and neutral financial professionals to explore what “difficult” really looks like in practice, how early choices shape later outcomes, and what teams can do when clients stray, dynamics shift, or the foundation wasn’t as solid as it seemed. Leave with real strategies you can use Monday morning.

Closing Ceremony 12:00PM – 12:30PM

Presented by: CP Cal President Patricia Van Haren, J.D. and Incoming President John Duffy, CDFA® .