Pauline H. Tesler

Pauline H. Tesler is a specialist in family law, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization since 1984. She has been peer-rated "A-V" by Martindale-Hubbell since the early 1980's and was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 1984.  Educated at Harvard College, the Victoria University of Manchester (England), and the University of Wisconsin Law School, Pauline began her legal career with a vigorous litigation and appellate practice, including test-case and major impact litigation in the California and United States Supreme Courts. After twenty years of court-based dispute resolution, in the early 1990's she became a pioneer in developing and extending the practice of Collaborative Law and interdisciplinary team Collaborative Practice worldwide.  Since 1998 she has limited her practice with clients to collaborative representation and consultation.  

Pauline co-founded the   International Academy of Collaborative Professionals  and was its first President, and was founding co-editor of The Collaborative Review, whose "Dear Collaborator" column she wrote for many years. She chaired the Standards Committee that drafted the first international standards for Collaborative Practice, and chaired the first IACP Ethics Task Force. Her critically-acclaimed practice manual, Collaborative Law: Achieving Effective Resolution in Divorce Without Litigation (published by the American Bar Association in 2002, revised and expanded second edition 2008)  was the first book-length treatise for collaborative lawyers.  She co-authored (with psychologist Peggy Thompson) Collaborative Divorce: The Revolutionary New Way to Restructure Your Family, Resolve Legal Issues, and Move On With Your Life (HarperCollins, 2006),  intended for general readers and as a practice development tool for collaborative lawyers.   Pauline has recently produced, directed, and made available for sale to trainers and practice groups a full-length DVD (The "Hal and Elaine Case") demonstrating in 21 chapters an interdisciplinary collaborative divorce team at work in a complex case.

Pauline has introduced many thousands of lawyers and other professionals to collaborative practice in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. She provides interdisciplinary and lawyer-only trainings and practice development workshops at all levels, and also provides mentoring, coaching, and case consultation to professionals whose cases are in difficulty.  She and Stu Webb jointly received  the first "Lawyer as Problem Solver" award from the American Bar Association in 2002. More information about her work and forthcoming events  can be found on her blog, www.collaborativedivorcenews.com, and  at  her website,  www.teslercollaboration.com.

Email teslercollaboration@lawtsf.com
Phone (415)383-5600