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Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC
October 2017 Newsletter

Greetings from Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC!

Hello everyone! Thank you for subscribing to the newsletter for Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC. This monthly newsletter keeps you informed about the legal and activism work we are doing to support LGBTQI, polyamorous, and other nontraditional families.
 

Diana will be in New York City November 13th - 17th & early December, and available to meet with clients.  See the schedule below!

 

In this month’s newsletter:

  • Diana’s Report from Teaching Courageous Conversations at Omega Women & Power

  • Andy Speaking at Gender Conference East

  • Andy Presents at LGBTQ Workshop with OUT Professionals at Morgan Stanley

  • Monogamish Premieres Across the U.S. with Diana as an Expert

  • Where in the World are Diana and Andy?

Diana Brings Her Courageous Conversations
Teaching to the Omega Women & Power Retreat

From Diana:

I am back from my adventure speaking at Omega’s Women & Power retreat, totally invigorated about the power of women to support one another and create social change! It was an honor to speak at this gathering of female leaders, and speak on a main stage along with inspiring heroes like the legendary Dolores Huerta from United Farmworkers (who led us in thunderous chants of ‘Si se puede!’ that rocked me with the collective power of hundreds of women), Loung Ung (whose story of persistent joy despite unimaginable loss in “First They Killed My Father” gave us hope), and Joan Blades who founded MoveOn, MomsRising and Living Room Conversations. Past speakers include Gloria Steinem, female Nobel Prize winners, and women who have fought human rights abuses across the globe. I was humbled and moved to be in their ranks.

Omega is a legendary personal growth retreat space, with a wonderful energy of reflection and renewal in the majestic nature of upstate NY, the place of my childhood. (I was grateful to be there during the magical time of red and orange autumn leaves!) The Omega Women’s Leadership Center does the admirable work of taking that reflection from inner work into social justice work and feminism. It was an honor to speak at this wonderfully diverse gathering of women aiming to #DoPowerDifferently, creating our own power WITH others rather than OVER others.

I was very grateful for the sliding scale that made this event accessible to women across the socioeconomic spectrum, to all ages and races and backgrounds. The retreat group of nearly 300 women included well over 100 women receiving grants who were taking on leadership while coming from a marginalized background, another 200 across the whole sliding scale spectrum, and an additional almost 100 funders, teachers, and staff. I’ve never been to such a diverse gathering united by their desire to support each others’ success and our common goals of civil liberties and empowerment for marginalized voices. Leave it to women to create this space!

I was invited to teach my Courageous Conversations workshop, my class on communication techniques that help us assert our needs and boundaries and de-escalate conflict, whether in personal relationships, professional contexts, or in speaking to those with difference in furtherance of our collective work for social change. I think of Courageous Conversations as the ones we think of as difficult and avoid, that are actually an opportunity for deeper understanding and connection if we can bravely forge ahead to speak our truth and listen.

How does teaching Courageous Conversations relate to my career as lawyer and mediator? The tools I teach in this workshop are the fundamental commonality between the skills I’ve learned as a mediator of family conflicts; the techniques I teach to college students about sexual communication to honor enthusiastic consent; the principles of self-awareness and compassionate listening I teach to romantic partners who hope to negotiate nonmonogamy or other agreements in their relationships; the skills I teach to female professionals to assert themselves in a professional environment; and the political organizing skills of my work as a progressive activist, listening to people across our differences and trying to create mutual understanding. I’m passionate about teaching these “soft skills” that are so essential, yet are often not formally taught, which transform our abilities to communicate in ways that support us to manifest the careers and relationships of our dreams. They did that for me.

Offering Courageous Conversations in this Omega retreat was a test. Would there be interest in developing these techniques? I was told that if 20 women showed up, that was a minimum of interest, and that I could expect at most 50. After I had the opportunity to explain these teachings for a few minutes on the main stage, 70 women showed up to the workshop! It was a rousing success and there was definite interest. I passed the test!

After this successful weekend, I’m delighted to announce that I have been invited to teach a full weekend workshop on Courageous Conversations at Omega Institute next August 3-5, 2018! Stay tuned for more information and development of this work!

Thank you for being with me on this journey! With appreciation, Diana

 

Andy Presenting at Gender Conference East
On November 3, 2017, Andy will be speaking at the Gender Conference East Professional Symposium on providing legal support to transgender and gender non-conforming children and adults through family transitions. This is Andy’s third year speaking at Gender Conference East’s Professional Symposium, and not only is it greatly rewarding to help other professionals provide the most compassionate and culturally proficient services possible to young and vulnerable community members, but also participating in the event, meeting the young people and their families, and providing them needed support is a much-needed source of joy and inspiration.

Andy Presents at an LGBTQ Workshop with OUT Professionals at Morgan Stanley

On Wednesday, November 25th, Andy participated in a workshop called “Taking Control of Decisions that Shape Your Family’s Life: Best Practices in Financial, Estate, and Tax Planning for the LGBTQ Community,” hosted by OUT Professionals and Morgan Stanley. In this workshop, Andy worked with a team of tax and financial professionals to help participants understand what tools exist for LGBTQ families to build long-term stability and interdependence. Andy will be discussing legal tools for making marriage and non-marital relationships work for you, options for protecting parentage and parent-child relationships, and strategies for providing for your family in the event of tragedy; this is an area of public speaking about which Andy feels passionate, because so many members of LGBTQ communities don’t believe that legal tools can be used to benefit them.

Andy and Diana are available to speak at your organization!

In addition to being practicing lawyers, Diana and Andy are thought leaders on LGBTQ issues and popular keynote speakers for universities, organizations, institution, corporations, and social groups. Andy and Diana both enjoy giving presentations and teaching classes about LGBTQ family law, non-traditional family issues, conflict de-escalation and consent, sexual assault prevention, Title IX issues, and LGBTQ cultural competency.

As a reminder to attorneys: At of the beginning of 2018, New York is adding a new category of required Continuing Legal Education credits called “Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias,” which can be fulfilled by programs addressing racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and other forms of oppression.

Diana and Andy have extensive experience teaching this kind of class, and are excited and available to teach CLEs that fit these requirements, such as cultural competency trainings for attorneys who serve LGBTQ clients or clients in non-traditional family formations, or Title IX and employment non-discrimination seminars.

Contact us if you’d like Diana or Andy to speak to your organization.

MONOGAMISH

While in New York in October, Diana spoke at two premieres of the documentary Monogamish, about Director Tao Ruspoli’s journey with consensual nonmonogamy. Diana was an expert in the film speaking on legal issues for nonmonogamous families, the coercion into marital relationships, and the movement beyond the nuclear family, along with luminary thinkers including her heros Esther Perel, Dan Savage, and Christopher Ryan.

Monogamish is now showing on the West Coast. To find out whether it’s coming to your area or to help bring it to an independent cinema near you, follow the movie on Facebook.

Where In the World are Diana and Andy?

Diana travels between New York City and Frankfurt, Germany, managing our European and NY offices, and is available to clients in both regions, with frequent touring of the U.S. and Europe in between. Diana welcomes opportunities to meet with clients and do speaking appearances along her travels. Below, see if she’s coming through your area.

 

Diana will be in New York in November and Early December! Contact us to schedule a time to meet with Diana to discuss legal representation, mediation, consultation, speaking events, or teaching opportunities.

  • November 11-17, 2017: NYC

  • November 18-26, 2017: Denver, Colorado Springs & Boulder, CO

  • November 27-December 3, 2017: NYC

  • February 26-March 2, 2018: Vancouver, BC

  • March 2-10, 2018: Portland, OR and Seattle, WA

  • March 11-16, 2018: Tampa, FL

  • March 19-30, 2018: NYC

  • June 2018: NYC & Upstate NY

  • August 2018: NYC & Upstate NY

Andy is in our office in New York City and available to clients there, and speaking at conferences and events below:

Wishing you and your family,
        in whatever shape it may take,
               joy, solidarity, and resistance,
                    from the team at Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC,
                            Diana, Andy, and Amy
Copyright © 2017 Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC, All rights reserved.  
The primary purpose of this newsletter is to be informative. Some material herein could constitute attorney advertising.

No information herein constitutes legal advice. If you would like to seek legal advice from Diana Adams Law & Mediation, please request a consultation.



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