Most of you recognize me from my company, Pacific Hawk, where we manage assets and create financial legacies for families. There is a side to me that you probably do not know. It deals with my passion for family mediation and collaborative practice. I am a Family Mediator and specialize as a Financial Neutral for families going through a divorce or other sensitive, confidential family matters. As a CFP with a Juris Doctorate, I am passionate about preserving family assets, maintaining harmony, and creating legacies.
Collaborative Law became a practice in the 1990s when Stu Webb popularized this approach towards conflict resolution. Stu made it his life’s work to avoid adversarial court proceedings during divorces and other family issues where the need for legal proceedings might arise.
In 2010 in Hong Kong, several pioneering family law practitioners were keen to promote collaborative practice. They formed an organization known as the Hong Kong Collaborative Practice Group (HKCPG). Founding member and chairperson of HKCPG, Winnie Chow of CRB, is quoted as saying, “the cross-disciplinary, cross-company, non-partisan approach is a key element of collaborative practice and its success.”
Winnie Chow is correct. As a Board member of HKCPG, I can confirm that we are proud of our mission to promote collaborative practice as a method of resolving family issues without the need for court hearings.
Today, HKCPG is thriving. We are building a collaborative practice community with a roster of over 70 members that include lawyers, financial neutrals, mediators, child psychologists, and family counsellors. We believe the collaborative practice approach is a less stressful and more productive method to achieve the best outcome for the whole family.
