San Diego, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/23/2020 -- The Collaborative Practice San Diego association has elected a new Board of Directors for the coming year.

Attorney Leslie A. Ryland is taking over as President. Ms. Ryland spent the past year as President-elect working with now outgoing President Shawn Skillin.

Ms. Ryland was admitted to the California Bar in 1989. She practices family law with the Schaffer Family Law Group. A Certified Family Law Specialist, she is a member of several other family law associations and is included in the 2020 San Diego Super Lawyers for Family Law. She earned her Bachelors degree from UCSD and her law degree from UCLA School of Law.

As President, she will lead the group and chart a path through the coming year. She will help lay a foundation for those who follow her.

"My thanks to Shawn for helping me get through this past year and giving me plenty of on-the-job experience. I look forward to leading Collaborative Practice San Diego in a way that will benefit all the members. I want to see our organization grow and become a greater resource for family law professionals and the public in general," she said. "Shawn certainly leaves behind a great legacy with everything she did the past year."

Ms. Skillin stays on the Board another year as Past-President, which is not an elected post. As such, she will be a voice of experience for the Board and Ms. Ryland.

"2020 was certainly a challenging year. No one saw it coming. The pandemic forced us to consider new ways to offer continuing education programs, workshops and public outreach," she said. "I am so thankful for the Board's support during the year. We learned. We improved. We made it through. That is a success by any measure."

Ms. Skillin specializes in collaborative divorce and mediation. Her first degree is a BSN in nursing from San Diego State University. She followed that up with a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of San Diego Law School in 1994. She is an advocate for children.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Liz Brown is the new President-elect. As such, she will assist President Ryland in her duties. She will also learn from Ms. Ryland as she plans to take the organization's reins in 2022. Ms. Brown is a Certified Family Law Specialist and was admitted to the California Bar in 2000. Her degree is from the California Western School of Law in San Diego.

"I have to thank the members for the faith and trust in me. They believe I can be a leader and I will work hard to maintain that trust. I look forward to helping Leslie implement her agenda. I know it will good for the association and the members," she said.

Ms. Brown was the Board secretary for the past year.

Cinda Jones joins the board this year as Secretary. She will keep minutes, report those minutes to the Board and let the Board know about coming meetings.

A CFP and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, Ms. Jones has worked exclusively with couples going through divorce since 2002. She prepares financial information about the couple, what will happen to their money and assets after the drive and helps them to make informed decisions about their financial future.

"Minutes are important. The Board needs to be able to look back and see what was done and, more importantly, why that decision was made at the time. Keeping accurate and complete records is vital, something I have learned through my years of financial counseling and planning," she said. "Liz kept great records. I know if a question comes up about why something was done, her notes will explain it."

Ginita Wall returns to the Board as Treasurer. She keeps the books and provides regular reports to the Board about the Association's finances. She reconciles financial statements and prepares needed tax reports.

Ms. Wall is a CPA, Certified Financial Planner and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. She was named one of the country's most trusted financial planners for seven years in a row by Worth magazine. She works in family law and collaborative divorce from the financial side, guiding clients as they move forward with separate lives.

"This is quite an honor to continue to be Treasurer. I appreciate the trust our members have in me. This is a responsibility I take very seriously. The members deserve to have an accurate accounting of the money and I have delivered that. Thank you again for trusting me," she said.

New Board members are Shelle Wisdom Lazar and Barry Levine.

Ms. Lazar is a child specialist and coach for the divorce process. Her focus is on the children and making sure their needs are met. She guides parents in how to continue to parent after the divorce.

Mr. Levine is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and Certified Financial Planner with more than 30 years' experience in financial counseling. He works with families going through divorce to make sure they understand the financial implications and repercussions as well as helping them plan for the future.

"I'm glad the members saw fit to add Shelle and Barry to the Board," Ms. Ryland said. "Collaborative Practice San Diego is for anyone and everyone involved in family law and divorce. We need representation from all the professional fields our Association represents. I know Shelle and Barry are going to do a wonderful job for the membership.

Collaborative Practice San Diego offers free divorce options workshops the first Saturday of each month via Zoom. The workshops explain the basics about divorce and explores the differences in the various processes available to couples who are divorcing. After making the decision to divorce, the most important decision a couple makes is how to get divorced. The public is invited to attend. Registration is required.

For more information about the Collaborative Practice San Diego or to learn more about the Board of Directors, visit CollaborativePracticeSanDiego.com.

About Collaborative Practice San Diego
Collaborative Practice San Diego is an association of attorneys, mental health professionals and financial advisors working together to learn, practice, and promote Collaborative processes for problem solving and the peaceful resolution of family law issues, with an eye toward preserving the emotional, as well as the financial, assets of the family. Its goal is to transform the resolution of family law issues through respectful, Collaborative processes protecting the integrity and health of family relationships and eliminate the need of families to resort to court litigation.

Media Contact
Collaborative Practice San Diego
11622 El Camino Real Ste 1042
San Diego CA 92130
(858) 472-4022
CFLGSD@gmail.com
https://www.collaborativepracticesandiego.com