As we continue our talk on teamwork and the importance of being a good teammate in preparation of our next Collaborative Introductory Learning Program it is important that we examine what the IACP Standards and Ethics say about teamwork.

Section 3.4 of the IACP Standards and Ethics focuses strictly on professional teamwork. We encourage all our readers to review these standards.

In specifically examining 3.4C, Collaborative Professionals have the ethical duty to ensure they are acting as the most responsible teammate possible for everyone in the process.

3.4C - The obligation to examine the impact of the professional’s own conduct upon the functioning of the professional team and on the Collaborative Process. Each Collaborative Professional must act in a manner that advances the interest of all clients in reaching Resolution.

While it may seem like an elementary standard based on the premise of the Collaborative Process, it can often be the one standard that can lead to termination. Making the shift from our past training as adversaries can be the most challenging part of adhering to this standard. Many Collaborative Professionals have spent years or even decades working in a way that is only best for one side and not the greater good of the team.

Even more challenging is conveying this standard and message to those seeking a divorce. Getting your client to understand that while you will advocate on their behalf, your ethical standards require you to consider the interests of both your client and their spouse.  Working within the standards to advance the process with the interests of all clients in mind can be difficult. 

In litigation, the lawyer is the quarterback and everyone follows his/her lead.  In the Collaborative Process the teamwork standards preclude any team member from being “in charge.”  We must be mindful of our biases and work together to help the clients achieve their goals, not the results we believe are best.