Collaborative Divorce - Panel Discussion
The Principles, Structure and Benefits of Collaborative Law
Panelists are:
Sarah Hoerber, CPA, CVA
Hoerber Tillman & Company
Kim E. Costello, DCCPsy., LMHC
Neutral Mental Health Collaborative Facilitator
Certified Family Mediator
Parenting Coordinator
Caroline Black Sikorske
Sessums Black Caballero Ficarrotta
Board Certified by the Florida Bar
In Marital and Family Law
Christine L. Derr
Derr Law Firm
Board Certified by the Florida Bar
In Marital and Family Law
The breakfast roundtable meeting will be held at the All Children's Hospital Education Conference Center located at 701 4th Street South. The meeting will begin promptly at 8 am with BREAKFAST and the opportunity to visit with fellow SEPC members at 7:30 a.m.
Advance reservations are required.
Sponsors:
Meeting Location:
All Children's Education Conference Center - DIRECTIONS
701 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Sarah A. Hoerber, CPA, CVA
Sarah A. Hoerber has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2002. She started her career in the traditional tax and audit fields before transitioning to litigation support services in 2005. She also became a Certified Valuation Analyst and trained in Collaborative Divorce in 2011. She specializes in forensic accounting, family law, collaborative divorce, and business valuation engagements. Sarah has been qualified as an expert witness for litigation support in Pinellas County and Hillsborough County. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, Next Generation Divorce, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She has served on the Board of Next Generation Divorce as Treasurer and Membership Director. She is also a public member of a Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee.
Kim E. Costello, Psy.D., LMHC
Co-owner and co-founder of The Costello Center, Dr. Kim E. Costello has over twenty years of experience as a therapist and counselor. In that time, she has helped hundreds of individuals, couples, and families through major changes in their lives.
"I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being we desire contentment. In my own limited experience, I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being."
Dr. Costello's experience and training led her to found The Costello Center with her husband Frank Costello in 2006, a comprehensive counseling and academic assistance center serving the greater Tampa Bay area.
Dr. Costello is a psychotherapist, Board Certified Counselor, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Florida Supreme Court Mediator, Certified Christian Marriage and Family Therapist, Parenting Coordinator, and Neutral Mental Health Facilitator trained in the most current models for family mediation and collaborative law. She received her master's degree from Norwich University and a Doctorate in Christian Counseling Psychology (Psy.D.) from Carolina University of Theology. She is a member of the American Board of Professional Counselors, the American Psychotherapy Association, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, and the International Association of Collaborative Professionals.
Conflict resolution counseling has always been an important component of Dr. Costello’s practice. After decades of providing therapeutic intervention for individuals and families in times of marital transition, she came to believe that there is a better way for parents and children to navigate through the painful process of divorce. Through extensive training and professional development, Dr. Costello has gained a unique perspective and expertise in the area of conflict resolution therapy. She believes so strongly in the positive impact of this process that she has shifted the entire focus of her practice in order to more fully dedicate herself to her work with families in times of divorce.
Her innovative method for collaborative divorce has grown as families have realized that divorce without despair is possible. To this end, she is trained in the best methods for family mediation and collaborative law and serves as a neutral mental health facilitator, parenting coordinator, child specialist and/or mediator for families in need. Dr. Costello works to provide services tailored to the unique needs of each family she helps, knowing no two divorces are exactly alike, but the end goal of easing the changes by facilitating communication and cooperation remains the same.
Caroline Black Sikorske, Esq.
Caroline Black Sikorske is Board Certified in Marital and Family Law, is listed in The Best Lawyers of America, and is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell. Caroline has served in numerous leadership positions, in national, state, and local professional legal organizations in her pursuit of excellence. She is a Diplomate in the American College of Family Trial Lawyers, a past Chair of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar and past President of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). On a local level, Caroline is a past President of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA), past Chair of the Family Law Section of HCBA and past Chair of the Tampa Bay Academy of Collaborative Practitioners (TBACP). Caroline has also previously chaired a Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee. Caroline has authored numerous articles about a variety of family law issues for the HCBA Lawyer magazine, the Florida Bar Journal, and the Florida Family Law Section Commentator. Caroline has also spoken on family law issues to various groups including the AAML, HCBA, and the Florida Bar. She attended Cornell University and Stetson College of Law.
Christine L. Derr, Esq.
Attorney Christine L. Derr is a shareholder of Harris, Hunt & Derr, P.A. with offices in Tampa and St. Petersburg. She is a Florida Board Certified Expert in Marital & Family Law. Christine was born in San Francisco, raised in California and has lived in Tampa since 1999. Christine received her B.A. with honors in history from the University of California at Berkeley and her law degree from the University of Florida.
While Christine is known as a skilled litigator, she is equally adept at fashioning creative, mutually beneficial resolutions in mediation and through her collaborative divorce practice. While she is proud of her success in the courtroom, Christine's experience has taught her that the most advantageous way to resolve a case is usually through the collaborative process. Christine believes that the collaborative process is suited for cases where the parties seek a confidential, less contentious solution.
Regardless of whether a case is collaborative or contested, Christine puts in the same effort to analyze each case, get the right answers, and allow clients to make informed decisions. Christine believes that clients are in the best position to make decisions about their families and finances, and an attorney's role is to use her training, analysis, and experience to help navigate those decisions.
Christine currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Tampa Bay Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She is an active Director of the Tampa Rotary Club, and serves in leadership roles in the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers, Hillsborough County Bar Association Family Law Section, Stann W. Givens American Family Law Inn of Court, and as a past chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Collaborative Law Section.
