A Replicable Model for Innovation in Collaborative Practice
Attorney Ashley-Nicole Russell’s innovation lies in her efforts to transform collaborative family law from a professional philosophy into a practical, sustainable model that other professionals can learn from, adapt, and implement. Rather than limiting her work to representing individual families, she has pursued a broader vision: building collaborative-focused practices, connecting professionals, educating the public, and creating resources that support the continued growth of collaborative practice.
Russell’s commitment to alternative dispute resolution began early in her professional journey. Following her education in political science and criminal justice at Appalachian State University, she earned her Juris Doctor and Certificate in Dispute Resolution from North Carolina Central University School of Law. She subsequently dedicated her legal career to collaborative family law, establishing AN|R Law in 2011 as the first collaborative family law firm in Eastern North Carolina. In a region where collaborative practice was largely unfamiliar, she demonstrated how an attorney could build a practice around resolving family disputes through cooperation rather than adversarial litigation.
Her approach offers several lessons that other collaborative professionals can adapt to their own communities.
1. Establishing a sustainable collaborative-focused practice.
Russell recognized that expanding collaborative practice requires more than professional training and a belief in its principles. Attorneys must also understand how to communicate the value of collaborative services, build a sustainable practice, and help clients recognize alternatives to litigation.
Through Delivering Divorce Differently, she has developed a platform for coaching and guidance intended to help legal professionals build collaborative-focused practices. This work extends her experience beyond her own firms by providing a resource through which other professionals can explore the practical and business considerations involved in establishing and sustaining a collaborative practice.
The broader significance is the potential for professionals to learn from an operating model rather than having to develop every aspect of their practices independently. Attorneys can adapt these lessons to their own markets while maintaining the collaborative process’s central commitment to cooperation, client participation, and constructive resolution.
2. Building professional connections that support statewide growth.
In 2010, Russell helped establish the North Carolina Collaborative Attorney Network (NC-CAN), contributing to the development of a statewide professional community dedicated to collaborative practice.
This work addresses an important challenge for collaborative professionals: a successful collaborative process depends on clients being able to find appropriate professionals and on practitioners being able to build productive working relationships. Professional networks create
opportunities for attorneys and other collaborative practitioners to connect, exchange knowledge, and strengthen awareness of collaborative approaches.
Russell’s statewide marketing initiative further reflects her recognition that expanding collaborative practice requires coordinated public education and professional outreach. Her work provides a model other communities can adapt by building local or statewide networks, sharing educational resources, and creating consistent ways to communicate the benefits of collaborative family law.
3. Making collaborative principles understandable and accessible.
Russell has also pursued innovation through public education. As the author of The Cure for Divorce Culture and host of the Divorce, Healthy! podcast, she addresses the cultural assumptions that can make divorce synonymous with conflict. Through these platforms, she communicates the importance of empathy, communication, and more constructive approaches to family transitions.
Her educational work, together with the resources available through Delivering Divorce Differently and her nonprofit organization, thecoparent.org, extends the conversation beyond individual legal matters.
This approach is adaptable for other collaborative professionals. Attorneys, mental health professionals, and financial neutrals can use educational materials, community presentations, professional outreach, and digital resources to explain collaborative practice, address common misconceptions, and help families make informed decisions about their options.
4. Extending collaborative awareness beyond traditional legal settings.
Russell has also championed efforts to encourage employers to provide information about collaborative divorce to employees experiencing family transitions. Through work involving Cy Wakeman, Workhuman, and Hello Divorce, she has sought to broaden awareness of collaborative resources in workplace settings.
This initiative reflects a willingness to explore new ways of reaching families before or during difficult transitions. By encouraging organizations outside the legal profession to share information about collaborative options, Russell has worked to expand the settings in which people may encounter these resources.
The underlying approach can be adapted by collaborative professionals seeking partnerships with employers, community organizations, and other institutions that regularly interact with individuals experiencing major family changes.
A model designed to extend beyond one practice.
Taken together, Russell’s work illustrates an approach to innovation that connects professional practice, education, networking, and public awareness. Her legal practice demonstrates a commitment to collaborative family law; NC-CAN reflects an investment in professional infrastructure; Delivering Divorce Differently provides a platform for professional guidance; and her writing, podcasting, and outreach create additional avenues for communicating collaborative principles.
The significance of this approach is its potential to be adapted by professionals working in different communities and practice settings. Attorneys can draw on the practice-development resources, while mental health professionals and financial neutrals can participate in interdisciplinary networks and public education efforts. Collaborative teams can also adapt these strategies to strengthen local awareness and make collaborative services easier for families to discover.
Russell’s contribution to innovation is therefore not limited to establishing her own successful practices. It lies in her continued efforts to build the professional connections, educational resources, and public understanding necessary for collaborative practice to grow beyond the work of any single attorney.
By working to make collaborative family law more visible, accessible, and sustainable, Ashley-Nicole Russell exemplifies an approach to innovation that can help other professionals carry collaborative principles into their own practices and communities.
The “Divorce, Healthy!” Podcast is now available on Amazon Music.
