You represent Angela in the collaborative process. You support her through confusion, emotional overwhelm, and the blow-up. When she says "I want a real lawyer" — that's directed at YOU. You absorb it, validate her feelings, and do your job. You walk her through what the litigation consult means: not a departure, but a reality check.
Opening remarks with Jennifer. 10-minute case summary for attendees who didn't do the pre-reads. You see both sides of the production — you know every beat of the story, every character's arc, and where the teaching moments land. You co-created all of these materials.
Angela is overwhelmed by the financial walk-around. You're her anchor. When the separate property issue surfaces, you coordinate with Carlos on the explanation — professional, not adversarial. You watch Angela's face when she learns about the house. You're already thinking about how to support her through what's coming.
Angela's frustration builds through option generating. The Fort Worth rental reveal. The credit card truth. Then the blow-up: "I gave you twenty-three years..." and she turns to you: "I want a real lawyer." That lands. You don't defend yourself. You validate her feelings. You inform the team she'd like a litigation consult. You're professional even when it hurts.
The litigation consult showed Angela the alternative: $50K retainer, a year of discovery, everything public. You help her come back to the table — not with enthusiasm, but with understanding that this is the better path. When Ainsley's preferences surface, you support her through a different kind of grief. You help her stay engaged when every instinct says to shut down.
Help Angela negotiate terms she can live with. She's no longer the confused woman from Meeting 2 or the furious one from Meeting 3. She's making real decisions. Your job is to ensure those decisions serve her actual interests — not her fear, not her anger, but her future.
| Time | What | You |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 – 9:10 | Breakfast + Opening | Opening remarks with Jennifer. 10-min case summary. |
| 9:10 – 10:30 | Meeting 2: Financial Walk-Around | At the table. Supporting Angela. Coordinating with Carlos. |
| 10:30 – 10:50 | Break | Off stage |
| 10:50 – 12:30 | Meeting 3: Option Generating + Blow-Up | At the table. Absorb the blow-up. Inform team of litigation consult. |
| 12:30 – 1:30 | Lunch | Off stage |
| ~1:30 | Litigation Consult | Present. Supporting Angela through the reality check. |
| ~1:40 | Child Specialist Opinion | Off stage (pre-recorded video) |
| ~1:50 – 3:00 | Meeting 4: Evaluate Options | At the table. Bringing Angela back. Supporting through Ainsley news. |
| 3:00 – 3:20 | Break | Off stage |
| 3:20 – 4:30 | Meeting 5: Negotiate & Settle | At the table. Helping negotiate settlement terms. |
| 4:30 – 5:00 | Case Autopsy | Participant in after-action review. |
When the separate property issue surfaces, you and Carlos handle it together. Not as adversaries — as colleagues explaining a legal concept to confused clients. The audience sees two collaborative attorneys working in concert.
This is the teaching moment for collaborative attorneys everywhere. Your client just told you — in front of the room — that you're not enough. Don't defend yourself. Don't explain the process. Validate her feelings. Then inform the team, professionally, that your client would like a litigation consult. That's the job.
After the blow-up, you frame the litigation consult request. Not as a failure. Not as a crisis. As a client exercising an option that exists within the collaborative framework. Your composure in this moment teaches the audience how to handle it when their own clients reach this point.
Angela is back, but barely. The litigation consult scared her. Ainsley's preferences gutted her. Your job is to help her stay at the table — not by minimizing her pain, but by helping her see that this process, imperfect as it is, serves her interests better than the alternative.
The moment Angela turns on you in Meeting 3 is the teaching moment for collaborative attorneys everywhere — when your client wants to abandon the process. Every practitioner in that audience has faced this or will face it. They need to see how it's done.
Don't defend yourself. Don't explain why collaborative is better. Don't take it personally (even though it is personal). Validate her feelings. Then do your job. Inform the team. Frame the litigation consult. Be the professional Angela needs, even when she doesn't think she wants one.
Your dual role as course director and performer is unique. You know every beat of this story. You co-created the materials. Use that knowledge to stay ahead of the room — but when you're at the table as Angela's attorney, be fully in that role. The audience should forget you're running the show.
The pre-read intake video (Fathom-modeled) is your contribution to the pre-read package. It shows the audience how you talk to a potential client about collaborative — even when they don't bring it up. That's teaching that starts before the CLE day.