When a final agreement is reached, the best collaborative teams celebrate their success. Holding a congratulatory signing meeting is always an opportunity to not only iron out the final details in your documents, but also to celebrate the team’s victory and the clients’ successful collaboration. Pop a bottle of champagne, or have cake. Present the clients with identical certificates of achievement and gift them some meaningful symbol of their accomplishment in reaching an agreement amicably. I have chosen the crystal lotus as a gift from my team to each client and I read them the following before presenting them each with their own copies:
Ancient talismans, symbols of good luck, crystals have been faceted into necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and pins. They have adorned crowns on emperors and empresses, robes on queens and kings, and even the breastplate of Aaron. Quartz crystals are often worn as jewelry and are thought to help in maintaining balance, focus, centeredness, and mental clarity, as well as physical and emotional stability.
Crystals signify the precious fruits of the earth and are used to draw positive energy into your space.
A universal symbol of purity and enlightenment, the lotus is said to convert bad luck into good and to heighten one’s sense of joy and peace. The lotus symbolizes that, no matter how dark the tempest, one can always rise above the storm clouds to the sun and let the exquisite flower inside your heart bloom.
Put this beautiful crystal flower close to a window and it will reflect the sunlight, creating beautiful rainbows in your home, instilling harmony and a feeling of optimism, and bringing peaceful energy into your home, helping to make it your safe place.
Never forget that you can always return to the collaborative environment in the event that you run into problems that you don’t feel you can solve alone. And always remember what a remarkable achievement you accomplished here.
When the professionals are alone together, freely extend deserved compliments to your teammates. Encourage them to employ those successful techniques that worked so well in this particular divorce again. Remind them (or inform them, if they don’t already know) of what they did that impressed you, or that impressed one of the clients! (This is another good reason to debrief clients when the divorce process is over; this is when you learn how they perceived all of the professionals on the team.)
A collaborative divorce is truly a successful divorce, and it is worth celebrating.
Joryn Jenkins, attorney and Open Palm Founder, began her own firm here in Tampa after a 14-year career in law, two of which she served as a professor of law at Stetson University. She is a recipient of the prestigious A. Sherman Christensen Award, an honor bestowed upon those who have provided exceptional leadership in the American Inns of Court Movement. For more information on Joryn’s professional experience, take a look at her resume.
