For all levels of experience.
Topics include:
The Role of the Law in Collaborative Practice
AI Technology
Collaborative Mediation
Where
Boca Grove Country Club
21351 Whitaker Drive
Boca Raton, FL 33433
When
Friday, October 25
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Agenda
8:00 – 9:00 AM Registration & breakfast
9:00 – 9:15 AM Welcome statements
9:15 – 10:30 AM Collaborative Mediation
Presented by Mara Bernstein, Sheila Furr, Christen Ritchey, and Jessica Ticktin
10:30 – 10:45 AM Break
10:45 – 12:00 PM Artificial Intelligence in Family Law
Presented by Zain Kalson, CEO of Etheia
1:00 – 2:30 PM The Role of the Law in Collaborative Practice
Presented by Sheila Furr, Kim Nutter, Tova Verchow, and Jeff Wasserman
12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch
2:30 – 2:45 PM Break
2:45 – 4:30 PM Interactive Exercise
Lead by Mara Bernstein and Ari Harper
Please note all times are listed for Eastern time zone
CLE credits pending.
Presenters
Mara Bernstein, Esq.
With a Baccalaureate Degree in Social Work from Cornell University and a Law Degree from Brooklyn Law School, Mara began her career in 1989 practicing divorce litigations with a preeminent New York City Divorce Law firm, representing clients in high asset divorces and child custody matters. After years of witnessing the emotional and financial devastation divorce litigation has on her clients and their families, Mara has dedicated herself to contributing to changing the “culture of divorce.” Mara now provides her clients with productive, effective, and efficient out-of-court alternatives to expensive, prolonged, and often destructive divorce litigation. Mara is an Accredited and experience Collaborative Divorce attorney, Florida Supreme Courtcertified mediator and trained Guardian Ad Litem. With offices in Boca Raton and virtually throughout the state of Florida, Mara’s practice focuses exclusively on divorce, divorce consulting, pre-divorce planning as well as the negotiation and drafting of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Mara is a member of The Florida Bar, Family Law Section, The New York State Bar, South Palm Beach County Bar Association, The South Palm Beach County Collaborative Law Group, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and a founding member of Free Arts of NYC. Mara’s office is located in Boca Raton, and she has an online/virtual practice throughout the State of Florida as well as New York.
Dr. Sheila Cohen Furr
Sheila Furr, Ph.D., A.B.N., is a Licensed Psychologist, Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology, and an Accredited Collaborative Professional. She has a B.S. degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University, a M.Ed. in School Psychology from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Rhode Island where she trained at the Brown University Medical School affiliated hospitals. She has been on the Medical Staff of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital for over 35 years. Dr. Furr is a Florida Supreme Court certified Family Mediator, a qualified Parenting Coordinator, and is trained as a GAL by the Florida Bar Family Law Section. She is the founding and Immediate PastPresident of the South Palm Beach County Collaborative Law Group. She has served on the Board of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals as Vice-President and Chairs of Outreach and Credentialing. She is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and the Florida Psychological Association. She is an affiliate member of the South Palm Beach County Bar Association, and an associate member of the Florida Bar Association Family Law Section where she is Past- Chair of the Litigation Support Committee. She has assisted on the editorial staff of the Section publication, the Commentator, where she published articles on psychology and family law. She has extensive experience evaluating and counseling families in distress before, during and after the divorce process and has lectured and testified frequently in family law and personal injury litigation. Dr Furr serves on the Board of the Ruth and Norman Rales Jewish Family Service where she is liaison to the Clinical Services Department.
Ari Harper
Ari S. Harper, CPA/ABV/CFE, is a forensic accountant specializing in litigation support, business valuation, and collaborative financial neutral services throughout Florida. Ari is qualified as an expert witness in multiple jurisdictions and is an Accredited Collaborative Professional. Ari earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from Florida Atlantic University and a Masters of Science in Accounting from University of Illinois Chicago. After becoming a CPA in 2012, Ari went on to become Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Ari’s experience at prestigious litigation support firms provided exposure to complex matters, top notch attorneys, and cutting edge processes and technique. At Ari S. Harper, CPA, P.A., he seeks to blend this experience with her personal touch and creativity to provide valuable assistance to clients and attorneys seeking his expertise. Ari has presented for the Broward County Bar Association, the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar, and as a university guest lecturer. He also serves the collaborative community as Vice President of the Choose Collaborative practice group in Boca Raton, committee co-chair and presenter for the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals (FACP) annual conference, and inaugural member of the FACP Leadership Institute. In his spare time, you can find Ari cheering for the Miami Heat, practicing his guitar, spending time with his wife and kids, or taking extra long walks with his best friend, Rocky.
Kim Nutter
Ms. Nutter is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers™ and a Florida Bar board certified specialist in Marital and Family Law, concentrating her practice in the areas of family law, and probate and estate litigation. She is also recognized by the Florida Supreme Court as a certified Family Mediator, certified Appellate Mediator, and certified Guardian Ad Litem. For more than 20 years, Ms. Nutter has served as a Guardian Ad Litem in family law for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit for Broward County and in the Family Law, Criminal and Dependency Courts for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit for Palm Beach County, advocating on behalf of abused and neglected children. She also previously served as Chair of the Attorney Ad Litem & Guardian Ad Litem Ad Hoc Committee for the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar and helped create a new program designed to train people seeking to be appointed as a Guardian Ad Litem in family law court proceedings. She now owns and operates that program, through Speaking for Kids, Inc. Additionally, Ms. Nutter is a founding member of the Collaborative Family Lawyers of South Florida, Inc., a charter member and officer of the South Palm Beach County Collaborative Law Group, a Master Member of the Susan Greenberg Family Law American Inn of Court of the Palm Beaches, and also serves on the Florida Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (FLAFCC). Based on nominations by her peers and clients, Ms. Nutter is often recognized in various publications for her work in the legal field. She has been listed among U.S. News & World Report‘s Best Lawyers in America© since 2011, has been named a “Florida Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers
magazine since 2008, and maintains an AV Preeminent® rating by Martindale-Hubbell. She has also been listed among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers for 2020. She and her practice team have also helped Brinkley Morgan achieve recognition as a Tier 1 “Best Law Firm” in the area of Family Law for 2014-2021 by U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, Ms. Nutter leads two annual, complimentary family law seminars for mental health professionals and accounting professionals in the South Florida community. Hosted by Brinkley Morgan, the seminars provide continuing education credits and cover topics that affect clients during family disputes such as divorce, paternity, dependency, and more.
Christen Ritchey, Esq.
Christen Ritchey is a founding partner of Johnson Ritchey Family Law. The firm focuses on family law matters and is dedicated to achieving the best possible outcome for their clients and their families. Christen especially enjoys facilitating mediation and working with cases that are engaged in the Collaborative Process, and is honored to serve in several Collaboratively-focused associations, most recently as the President of the South Palm Beach Collaborative Law Group. Additionally, Christen contributes her leadership skills to the Women’s Executive Club of Boca Raton, the Peter Blum Family YMCA, and the School Advisory Committee at J.C. Mitchell Elementary School. Her dedication to the city continues as she served on the Planning & Zoning Board and the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee for the City of Boca Raton. Recognized for her commitment to the community, Christen was nominated for the Women of Distinction Award by Soroptimist in 2019 and the Woman Volunteer of the Year by the Junior League of Boca Raton in 2022. Christen is a member of the 2024 class of Leadership Boca, and Johnson Ritchey Family Law is a proud trustee of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. Most recently, Christen was named among the 2024 Florida Super Lawyers. Christen has been a resident of Boca Raton since 1985. She received her Juris Doctor degree with honors from the Levin College of Law at University of Florida in 2005.
Jessica Ticktin
Prior to becoming a judge, Jessica Ticktin owned and managed a multi-office firm with several offices across the State of Florida. She is known for her decisiveness, determination, and ability to creatively resolve disputes, which has allowed her to bring closure to countless families over the years she served as a judge. Jessica Ticktin received her Bachelor of Science Degree in criminology, from Florida State University and her J.D. degree from the Stetson University College of Law; she is a member of various bar associations and has been admitted to practice law in federal courts as well as the Florida Supreme Court. Jessica Ticktin was elected in August 2014 to be a Circuit Judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida. She presided over a circuit civil division in West Palm Beach until June 2015, when she came into the circuit family/probate/guardianship division where she served as the Administrative Judge of the South Palm Beach County Courthouse as well as Administrative Judge of the Family Division. In addition to managing a full docket, she participated as a faculty member of the Florida Judicial College, and has participated in many presentations to educate the public and legal community on topics related to civil, probate, guardianship, and family law.
Tova Verchow
Tova N. Verchow, Senior Associate, earned her J.D. (summa cum laude) from Nova Southeastern University – Shepard Broad Law Center, where she ranked No. 5 of 244 in her graduating class. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ramapo College of New Jersey (summa cum laude). In addition, Verchow spent a semester abroad at Neve Yerushalayim College in Jerusalem, pursuing International Studies. Verchow joined the firm after working as a law clerk at Gladstone, Weissman, Hirschberg & Schneider, P.A. in the summer of 2015. She also clerked at Rumbold & Seidelman, LLP adoption and reproductive law firm in Bronxville, New York. Verchow was also a judicial intern for The Honorable Renee Goldenberg of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, and a research assistant/teaching assistant for several professors while in law school. Verchow is a compassionate and knowledgeable senior level associate who is ideally suited to counsel and guide clients through family law matters. She was selected to Ones to Watch by Best Lawyers from 2021, 2022 and 2023 and recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Moreover, Gladstone, Weissman, Hirschberg & Schneider, P.A. has been named to the 2023 list of ‘Best Law Firms’ by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® as a ‘Tier-1′ Marital and Family Law firm in the United States.
Jeffrey Wasserman
Jeff Wasserman is an Accredited Collaborative Professional under Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals (“FACP”) Standards. Jeff is currently Of Counsel at Shapiro, Blasi, Wasserman & Hermann. He has been in practice for over 50 years before the Florida Bar and has successfully transitioned his practice from that of a trial lawyer to that of a Peacemaker utilizing the Collaborative Law Process to represent clients in family law matters, including divorce, pre and post marital and cohabitation agreements. He uses #AskAboutCollaborative for his social media connections. Jeff is an Emeritus Director of FACP; serves on the SPBCCLG Board of Directors; is a member of several Practice Groups; serves on several committees of FACP, IACP and SPBCCLG; is a Fellow in the IAFL; past chair of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar; past chair of the Family Law Rules Committee of the Florida Bar; and currently serves on the Supreme Court Family Law Forms Advisory Committee. In addition, he has spoken frequently on Collaborative Law; is a Trainer of the Collaborative Law Process and has written many published articles. Jeff is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and has been listed in Florida Super Lawyers magazine for over 15 years and the South Florida Legal Guide as a “Top Lawyer” in family law for 15 years; and is included in the 2025 Edition of America’s Best Lawyers and is recognized by Who’s Who in America. He is an honorably discharged veteran of the Vietnam War.
To register, please visit:
ChooseCollaborative.com
