Sherman Oaks, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/12/2020 -- Members of the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association (LACFLA) are educating both the general public and other professionals to help better understand the collaborative divorce process in California.

"Our members are dedicated to family law and helping families through troubling times. Several of our members teach classes in the family law fields. Some of these classes are also for the families who are facing challenging times and decisions," said James Hallett, LACFLA president. "Thanks to the generosity of our members, many of these classes are free. We believe now more than ever people have enough stress in their lives without having to pay for many of these classes."

Other classes being taught are for professionals involved in family law.

Some of the LACFLA members' classes are below.

Better Parenting Better Divorce Class

Vi Ballard, MFT, will teach a Better Parenting Better Divorce Class beginning in October. This class runs for six days over six weeks for 12 total hours. Those attending all the classes will get a Certificate of Completion. This class is aimed at parents and teaches them how to help their children cope with a pending divorce and what comes after the divorce. "We know it is the conflict, parents arguing and fighting, that creates problems for the children. The actual divorce is something children can handle very well. Seeing their parents at odds can be devastating," Ms. Ballard said.

Co-parenting definitely helps the children work through their parent's separation, she added.

Contact Ms. Ballard for more information. She is a mental health professional dedicated to helping children and families get through difficult times.

Marital Property

Taught at Loyola Law School by Attorney Joe Spirito, this class looks at community property and how it can be divided among the couple in the most fair way. The topics discussed are:

- Definitions and examples of separate, communal and quasi-marital property.
- Tracing the property ownership.
- How property can change.
- Title to the property.
- Community property laws.
- Rights to the property, including bank accounts and intangible property.
- Rights to property during separation, divorce and death.

For more information, contact Mr. Spirito. Mr. Spirito recognizes that the collaborative process provides the tools to support parties in working together for the overall benefit of their families, leads to much quicker resolution than litigation, and reduces the emotional and financial strain of divorce.

Jaye-Jo Portanova, M.D., teaches a weekly webinar and town hall at CPCal to educate professionals on taking collaborative practice online. Dr. Portanova, is an experienced adult and child psychiatrist specializing in mediation, co-parenting counseling, collaborative law, attorney/client consultation, and family therapy.

Divorce and Family Mediation

Attorney Jennifer Winestone teaches a Divorce and Family Mediation course at USC. This course helps people understand family law including divorce, property, custody and immigration disputes. Ms. Winestone has a Masters of Law degree in dispute resolution. She helps families out of their own seemingly impossible situations, arising from their separation, divorce, and child custody conflicts. Contact her for course information.

Conflict Resolution

This is a course of lectures, LACFLA training and hands-on clinic experience taught by Attorney Kevin Chroman, an adjunct professor at Loyola University. Students get practical experience in collaborative and mediation divorce cases. Don in a series of Fridays, the course has two volunteer teams of collaborative professionals help guide couples who are going through a divorce. Through this training, the students learn what questions to ask, how to ask them and California laws on divorce, collaboration and mediation.

For more information, contact Professor Chroman.

LACFLA provides a basic and advanced Collaborative Basic Training for family law professionals. Stephanie Maloney has led LACFLA's education efforts for many years. For more information about other classes or to request a course or class, contact Ms. Maloney. Ms. Maloney is a CDFA and CFP. She serves as a Collaborative Financial neutral party in Collaborative Divorces as well as mediations. She has dedicated her career to helping couples and families get divorced in a sane, sensible and fair way at a reasonable cost.

Forrest (Woody) Mosten is an Adjunct Professor at UCLA School of Law since 2002. His courses include Mediation, Lawyer as Peacemaker, Family Law Practice: A Non-Litigation Approach, as well as courses at IACP: Building a Successful Collaborative Practice and Training Collaborative Trainers.

For more information about LACFLA, visit the website at www.LACFLA.org.

About Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association ( LACFLA)
The Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association is an interdisciplinary, open organization committed to the collaborative process of solving family conflict in a non-adversarial way, by educating professionals and providing collaborative family law to couples looking to divorce in a more cost-efficient, respectful and peaceful process.

Media Contact
Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association
15490 Ventura Blvd #300-A
Sherman Oaks CA 91403
(818) 933-4505
admin@lacfla.org
https://www.lacfla.org/