Memorandum
To: Drafting
Committee for the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
Collaborative Law Act (“UCLA”)
CC: Official
Observers
From: Andrew
Schepard, Committee Reporter (with the assistance of Kate Brittle, Angela
Burton, and Brittany Shrader, Hofstra Law School class of 2009)
Re: First Draft of the Uniform Collaborative
Law Act
Date:
Welcome back from what I hope was a wonderful summer. I look
forward to hearing about what you did when we meet on October 5th
and 6th in
My students and I prepared a first draft of the UCLA and commentary during the summer, which is enclosed. I think (and hope) that it is consistent with our discussions at our April meeting. The draft contains a notation that it has not yet been reviewed by the Drafting Committee.
Creating the first draft of the Act was a challenge, and my expectations for it are modest – I hope it will help us structure our October meeting productively. It is far from a finished product. As you read it, you will note many “Notes to the Drafting Committee” in it, reflecting major (and some minor) policy issues that we left for further discussion at our October meeting. I am sure that other issues will come to mind as you review the draft. I look forward to discussing them with you.
I hope that you will have enough time to circulate the draft to interested people and organizations before our October meeting so that their comments can be taken into account during our discussions.
To facilitate that process, with NCCUSL’s agreement, my students and I have created a website for the UCLA similar to the one which was created for the Uniform Mediation Act. Those who visit the website will be able to download the current draft of the Act and background materials. Thus, you do not need to copy the Act for anyone you transmit the Act to. They will also be able to post comments on the Act on the website, which I will transmit to you.
The website address is law.hofstra.edu/ucla
I enclose a draft of an e mail that I will send to the AALS Juvenile and Family Law Section list serve and ADR Section list serve soliciting their comments on the draft. Feel free to use this e mail as a model for anyone whose comments you want to solicit too.
My students and I thought that it would be a good idea to provide a biography of each of the Drafting Committee members on the website. We thought that the best way to do this was simply to provide a link under your name to your own website. My students will be contacting you to ask whether you are comfortable with this idea and what your website address is.
On another note, Laura Daly, the Hofstra Law student who
participated in our April meeting, has been “promoted” to managing editor of
the Family Court Review, a
substantial job. I have honorably discharged her from service on the
Collaborative Law Project. Laura sends her thanks for the opportunity to work
with all of you, albeit too briefly. Brittany Shrader,
I look forward to seeing you in October in