Answers

Heads or Tails?

What do you do when you think you are settled, and one last issue pops up?

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Growing

Blind Collaboration

If we listen to each other, we'll get the whole picture. Then we can begin moving forward with effective decisions that support the entire system -- and every individual that is touched by it.

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Join Us

We Are a Catalyst For Change

My Collaborative Team produces and distributes the #1 weekly newsletter and directory for Collaborative Professionals.

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Mutual destruction

What's your divorce look like?

Most people know what happens in a divorce: one spouse files a petition, serves the other spouse, and the battle begins.

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For Your Family

Protect your children

Do you want to protect your children from the poison of a litigated divorce? There is an alternative. Explore the benefits of a collaborative divorce

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Collaborative Law

What's the difference?

Do you want a stranger to decide the terms of your divorce settlement and how much time you spend with your children? There is an alternative. Explore the benefits of a collaborative divorce

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What My Collaborative Team Does

Our mission is to provide meaningful, dynamic, powerful, and thought-provoking resources to Collaborative Practice Groups and Practitioners worldwide seeking to transform the process by which people resolve disputes. We are a catalyst for change. My Collaborative Team is here to provide marketing and educational opportunities for our members in building more successful Collaborative practices utilizing our digital and virtual marketing outlets.

Sandra Crawford

Sandra Crawford
Address:
77 West Washington Street Suite 1119 Chicago, IL 60602, Illinois, United States 60602
Description:

EDUCATION

1989 Juris Doctorate, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois

1984 B.A., Political Science, De Paul University, Chicago, Illinois

SPECIALIZED TRAINING IN DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND NEGOTIATION

2019 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 16 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Chicago, Illinois

2018 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Skills Training (various topics) – 8 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Seattle, Washington

2018 Insight Mediation Training (2 days), Prince Edward Island, Canada.

2017 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 16 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2016 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 16 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Las Vegas, Nevada. 

2015 40-hour Basic Mediation Training, Mosten Mediation Training, Forrest Mosten, Esq., Los Angeles, California.  (Teacher’s Assistant)

2014 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 12 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Vancouver, Canada

2014 Strength Development Inventory Course – 6 hours, Susan Gamache, LCSW

2013 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 12 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, San Antonio, Texas

2012 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 12 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Chicago, Illinois

2011 “Through the Eyes of the Team:  Laying a Foundation for Success” – 6 hours, Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois and Robert D. Bordett, CFP, CDFA.

2011 “Rewire Your Brain to Speak Your Mind:  Neuroscience Insights for Conflict Management” – 6 hours, Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois and Anastasia Pryanlkova, MA, JD. 

2011 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 12 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, San Francisco, California

2010 Peacemaker Training – 3 hours, Peacemaker Services, New Ways In Conflict Transformation, Stephan V. Beyer, Ph.D., JD.

2010 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 12 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

2010 “Uncovering the Mysteries of Coaching and Child Specialist Roles:  the “What”, the “How” and the “When”- 6 hours, Peggy Thompson, Ph.D.

2009 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 12 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

2009 “Collaborative Team Building:  The Art of Giving and Receiving” – 6 hours, Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois and Brigitte Bell, Esq. and Margaret Powers, LCSW

2009 “Refining the Collaborative Process Through Skill Building:  Needs and Interests and Framing Issues” – 6 hours, Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois and Zena Zumeta, Esq.

2008 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 12 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

2008 “Dealing with High Conflict Couples” - 6 hours, Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.

2008 Advanced Collaborative Law Skills Trainings, 8 hours - European Conference, Cork, Ireland

2007 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 12 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

2007 “Deepening Our Understanding, Expanding Our Purpose, Transforming Our Goals” – 6 hours, Collaborative Legal Practice Institute (Pauline Tesler, Esq.)

2007 Basic Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Training – 12 hours, Collaborative Law Training Associates, Inc.  (Teacher’s Assistant)

2007 "Taking the War Out Our Words” - 6 hours, The Institute for Powerful Non-Defensive Communication (Sharon Ellison)

2006 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (various topics) – 12 hours – International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

2005 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Skills Training (communication skills) – 6 hours, Silicone Valley Collaborative Law Training Group

2005 Multi-Disciplinary Collaborative Family Law Training – 12 hours, Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois

2004 Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Training (various topics) -12 hours, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Boston Massachusetts

2004 Basic Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Training – 12 hours, Collaborative Law Training Associates, Inc.  (Teacher’s Assistant)

2003 Basic Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Training – 12 hours, Collaborative Law Training Associates, Inc.   

2002 Introductory Collaborative Family Law Training - 12 hours, Chip Rose, Esq.

1994 Train-the-Trainer Mediation Training, Center for Conflict Resolution, Chicago, Illinois

1993 40-hour Mediation Training, Center for Conflict Resolution, Chicago, Illinois

PROFESSIONAL LICENSE

1990 – Present Attorney, licensed in Illinois, License # 6203325

2005 – Present Attorney, admitted to practice before United States Supreme Court

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2004 – Present Owner - Law Crawford, P.C.   Private Law Practice, Chicago, Illinois 

  • Family Law Mediator
  • Collaborative Law Professional
  • Guardian Ad Litem in Probate Matters
  • Family Law/Divorce Litigator

1996-2004 Partner – Feingold & Crawford, Private Law Practice, Chicago, Illinois

  • Family Law and General Law Litigator
  • Real Estate Lawyer
  • Collaborative Law Professional
  • Mediator

1993-1996 Owner – Law Offices of Sandra Crawford, Private Law Practice, Chicago, Illinois

  • Family and General Law Litigator
  • Mediator
  • Real Estate Lawyer

1990-1993 Associate – Loftus & Loftus, Private Law Practice, Niles, Illinois

  • General Law Litigator
  • Family Law Litigator

PREVIOUS PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1987-1990 Litigation Paralegal, William, Brinks, Hofer, Gilson & Lione, Chicago, Illinois – Trademark & Patent Litigation.

1985-1987 Litigation Paralegal, Wildman & Harrold, Chicago, Illinois – General Litigation

1979 – 1984 Law Library Assistant, Much, Shelist, Freed, Denenberg, Ament & Eiger, Chicago, Illinois.  Legal Researcher

TEACHING/TRAINER EXPERIENCE

2018 – Present Faculty, 40-hour Divorce Mediation Trainings at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, Chicago, Illinois (presented 4 times per year)

2008 - 2017           Coach for 40-hour Divorce Mediation Trainings at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, Chicago, Illinois (presented 4 times per year)

2010 - Present           Trainers for the Advancement of Collaborative, Inc., Chicago, Illinois.  Founder           and trainer – developed and presented 12 hours Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law; Champaign, Rockford and St. Charles, Illinois.

2016-2017 Part-Time Faculty, North Central College, Naperville, Illinois.  Teaching Conflict Resolution and Mediation.

2014 Adjunct Professor, Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, Illinois. Forensic Department’s semester long Introduction to Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution

PUBLICATIONS

ARTICLES Collaborative Process – Some Essentials of this ADR Model, Now Formally Recognized Under Illinois Law by Sandra Crawford, Southern Illinois University Law Journal, Vol 46, Summer 2019, pages 793-810

Collaborative Law, a Brief Overview by Sandra Crawford, Illinois Bar Journal, Vol 105, Number 9, pages 28-31, September 2017. https://www.isba.org/ibj/2017/09/collaborativelawbriefoverview

A Tale of Two Communities: Bringing Pro Bono Collaborative Law to Illinois National Guard Veterans by Sandra Crawford.  Illinois State Bar Association's (ISBA) Women and the Law Newsletter, November 2015. The Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois and the Health & Disability Advocates of Warrior to Warrior have rolled out a pro bono program to bring the Collaborative Practice model of divorce dispute resolution to Illinois Army National Guard Veterans and their families.

Collaborative Law by Sandra Crawford.  Attorney at Law Magazine, Chicago Edition, Vol. 2, No. 1, page 26, January, 2015. http://digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com/publication/?i=243800#{%22issue_id%22:243800,%22page%22:26}

Mediation, meditation—Let’s pause for more peaceful outcomes by       Sandra Crawford.  ISBA's Women and the Law Newsletter, February 2015.   Learning how to meditate can help legal professionals (mediators, attorneys, judges) become more comfortable with silence (“the pause”) and not have to continually race against each other to be the first and last to speak.

Divorce Corp. movie underscores family court woes, collaborative law offers solution by Sandra Crawford.  ISBA's Alternative Dispute Resolution Newsletter, March 2014.  Although unexplored in the film, for more than 20 years now the practice of collaborative law has offered a highly desirable alternative for couples seeking a “kinder, gentler” divorce.

Conscious Divorce: The Conscious Lawyer and Collaborative Practice by Sandra Crawford.  ISBA Family Law Newsletter, October 2013.  It often goes without saying that family lawyers deal with significant trauma and distress on a daily basis. Becoming and remaining conscious of the impact of the stress on one’s own life is critical.

Managing Expectations—Ours (The lawyers) and Theirs (The clients) by Sandra Crawford.  ISBA Women and the Law News Letter, September 2011. The book, The New Lawyer, How Settlement is Transforming the Practice of Law, can serve as a starting place for any lawyer wishing to examine where she fits into the conflict resolution continuum.

What Every Lawyer Should Know About Collaborative Law (a.k.a., Collaborative Practice) by Sandra Crawford.  ISBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Newsletter, June 2011.   Three things every lawyer should also know about Collaborative Law: (1) there is a favorable American Bar Association Formal Ethics Opinion (Opinion No. 07-447) on the topic; (2) since October, 2010 there has been a Uniform Collaborative Law Act adopted in several states; and, (3) there is an international organization, the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, which has also promulgated Ethical Standards for Collaborative Practitioners.

Second-Hand-Shock™—Day to day the price we pay by Sandra Crawford.  ISBA Women and the Law Newsletter, March 2009 “Second-Hand-Shock" is the cumulative impact of the distress that clients’ trauma content stories have on the professionals helping them.

Lawyers as Peacemakers—An opportunity to learn and explore by Sandra Crawford. ISBA Women and the Law Newsletter, March 2008.   Are you a warrior? Are you a peacemaker? Or, are you something other? Through answering these threshold questions we may be able to open broader dialogues which will lead us to answering the ultimate question of “what’s the better public image for our profession?”

Negotiation and Emotions, Not mutually exclusive concepts by Sandra Crawford.  ISBA Women and the Law Newsletter, October 2006. Negotiation is part of the fabric of your daily lives and the key function of much of work as attorneys, as mothers, as spouses, as committee members, etc.

Lawyer, Know Thyself—Let’s look together behind the facade of a profession in the law for women  by Sandra Crawford.  ISBA Women and the Law, June 2006.

VIDEOS

Pre-divorce planning (June 2011) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhZZ1EptuDs

See Sandra Crawford and a team of experts give tips on how to plan when considering divorce

Alternatives to Court (June 2011) at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YEVqjgOoB8

See Sandra Crawford and a team of experts talk about avoiding the costs and pitfalls of litigation. 

Illinois State Bar Association’s Ask a Lawyer (2015).  What is Collaborative Law? Is it right for me? at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNzesS_tj78&feature=youtu.be

See Sandra Crawford explain the Collaborative Law (aka Collaborative Practice) model of conflict resolution.

Empowering Through Leadership (2016) - Interview on Collaborative Law at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkp381TEULc&sns=em


PODCASTS

Getting Split Ready Podcast (May 2019)

https://www.splitready.com/2019/05/29/getting-split-ready-episode-9-ala-carte-divorce-an-introduction-to-unbundled-legal-services/

Collaborative Resolution Project (June 2019)

https://collaborativeresolutionproject.com/2019/06/05/crp-9-the-collaborative-process-what-works-why/

EXPERT TESTIMONY

Anna F Weaver vs. Brigitte Schmidt Bell and Brigitte Schmidt Bell, P.C., Cook County Case Number 2013 L 0347.  Defendant’s named opinion expert on the topic of Collaborative Law.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

2002-Present Fellow, Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois

2002-Present Member, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

2004-2019 Member, Illinois State Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee for Cook County

2005-2013 Member, Illinois State Bar Association Standing Committee on Women and the Law 

2005-2012 Director, Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois

2009 -2010 President, Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois

2009-2014 Member, Illinois State Bar Association Assembly (Governing Body)

2010-2011 Chair, Illinois State Bar Association Standing Committee on Women and the Law

2012-2018 Mentor, Illinois State Bar Mentoring Program

2013-2016 Member, Trainer Development Network Committee, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

2013-Present Chair (2017-2018) and Member, Illinois State Bar Association’s Delivery of Legal Services Committee

2014-2019 Member, John Marshall Law School Alumni Board

2014-Present Director, Illinois Bar Foundation

2014-Present Chair (2018-2019) and Member, Illinois State Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section Council

2014-2016 Volunteer Attorney, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services

2018-Present Member, Advisory Board of the Schiller, DuCanto, Fleck Family Law Center, DePaul University

2018-2019 Chair of the Fellows Program, Illinois Bar Foundation

2019-Present Third Vice President, Illinois Bar Foundation

ACADEMIC/EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS

2019 DePaul University, 2019 Family Law Symposium, “The Evolving American Family – Implication of Not Marrying”

2019 John Marshall Law School, Chicago, “Collaborative Law Basics”

2018 Presentation to the Collaborative Law Institute, Park Ridge Practice Group, “Secondhand Shock, Day to Day the Practice We Pay Talking Circle.” 

2018 DePaul University, School of Law, 2L and 3L Lecture, “Collaborative Law Basics”

2018 John Marshall Law School, Chicago, “Collaborative Law Basics”

2017 Presentation to the Collaborative Law Institute, Loop Practice Group, “Active Listing Skills for Collaborative Professional”

2016 Illinois State Bar Associations, “Limited Scope Representation: When Less is More” (Panelist)

2016 John Marshall Law School, Chicago, “Collaborative Law:  The Nuts and Bolts”

2016 DePaul University, Schiller Ducanto Family Law Center - “Collaborative Law:  The Nuts and Bolts”

2015 JTB-APO Advanced Scholars, John Marshall Law School, Chicago.  "Introduction to Peace Circles and Alternative Dispute Resolution."

2015 Loyola University School of Law, “Collaborative Law:  The Nuts and Bolts”

2014 John Marshall Law School, Chicago, “Collaborative Law:  The Nuts and Bolts”

2014 Just the Beginning Foundation Leadership Institute, John Marshall Law School, Chicago. "Introduction to Peace Circles and Alternative Dispute Resolution"

2014 Loyola University School of Law, Chicago.  “Collaborative Law:  The Nuts and Bolts”

2013 John Marshall Law School, Chicago, “Collaborative Law:  The Nuts and Bolts”

2013 Chicago Bar Associations, Chicago.  “Overview of Collaborative Law and the Uniform Collaborative Law Act”

2012 Just the Beginning Foundation and Illinois State Bar Law and Leadership Institute, John Marshall Law School, Chicago.  "Introduction to Peace Circles and Alternative Dispute Resolution."

2012 Loyola University School of Law, Chicago, “Collaborative Law:  The Nuts and Bolts”.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS

Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois

Illinois State Bar Association

Illinois Bar Foundation

International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

IACP Member:

Contact Information
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