WHO IS KEITH GROSSMAN?
Keeping the Peace. Teaching the Peace.
The whole thing made me nauseous. How did I stupidly allow myself to get into this situation?
I was standing almost nose to nose with another junior high school classmate, and all the students around us were chanting, "Fight, fight."
I was trembling. I was numb. And I can't even tell you what we were fighting about. I can tell you that it wasn't anything important. I bet John, the other classmate, felt his insides shrinking also.
I know the fight started over something small. And then it became about pride. And about perception. What would other people think if I let John "win"?
But then something happened. My brain started winning over my emotions. I started thinking more clearly.
"Winning" wasn't the right question. I was not going to fight over something insignificant because of pride or peer pressure.
I started thinking about adults I respected, and what action I could take that would make them proud and impressed about how I handled the situation.
With the chanting at a feverish pitch and volume around me, I turned my back to John and pushed my way through the crowd. I walked away.
My legs were still trembling. My stomach was tight and small and had moved its way into my throat. But my brain was telling me with 100% certainty and clarity that I had made the right decision.
I never understood why people physically or emotionally fight. I just don’t see what benefit comes from beating each other up. Whenever I find myself on the verge of having a fight, I always look for solutions to avoid the fight. As a kid, I always struggled with avoiding a fight because I know other kids looked at that as the cowardly way out. I saw it is the smart way out.
I think avoiding all types of fights should be the goal. We spend way too much time protecting our egos and killing solutions.
I have found that most people do want to reduce conflict.
I am an attorney licensed in the State of Florida since 1991, a Family and Circuit Civil mediator certified by the Supreme Court of Florida, and an Arbitrator qualified by the Florida Supreme Court.
I am also the Chief Peacekeeper of Grossman Law & Conflict Management. I help individuals manage conflict more comfortably and collaborate.
I have handled hundreds of trials and mediations. I have advocated for thousands of clients in the court room. I represented the father getting his kidnapped children back from his wife. I represented the disabled unemployed wife requesting alimony from her husband who did not want to pay. I represented the mother who was protecting her children from their father's alcoholism.
I’ve spent years duking it out in court. I have seen numerous people handle conflict poorly. Their relationships are destroyed, the costs related to the conflict are astronomical, and the court proceedings are endless. The shame is that it can all be avoided.
None of my ability to argue in the courtroom should matter. Many years ago, I concluded that litigating a divorce or other family law matter is unnecessary in most situations. Furthermore, the fact is 95% of cases settle - the family comes to an agreement to end their case without going to trial. Still, most families spend thousands of dollars preparing for litigation that will never occur. Meanwhile, they fail to prepare for settlement negotiations, which is how they will most likely determine the outcome of their divorce.
People go to court because they don’t know better.
I’ve seen the light, and I’ve taken the path of the gentle warrior. What should matter to you is what I learned from all my time in the courtroom. Litigation taught me that there is a more effective way to resolve conflict. Litigation is a decision-making process, but it's not really resolving conflict. It's not solving problems. Cases take too long, cost too much, and destroy families. I have learned that you should commit to focusing on solutions that will work for everyone.
I am unique in that I combine my years of litigation, mediation, and training experience to find ways to bring peace to your life. I have primarily been a divorce and family law attorney during my career, and I promote Collaborative Divorce and Mediation because I know these no-court options provide more honor and respect when reorganizing a family.
After 30 years of practicing law, I am more secure than ever in my belief that finding solutions is better than fighting. I discovered that I play an important role in helping my clients to understand the value of solution thinking. I have to mentor my clients to think and behave in ways focused on solutions rather than fighting. I am proud of the book I wrote for my clients titled Does Every Divorce Need a Shark.
The concepts and methods that I learned working with my clients in these cases, I now share with other professionals also working with those families. It has become my passion to help people effectively manage conflicts in their lives. My goal is help people communicate better as well as to offer solutions to conflict at an early stage so that they stay out of court, don’t go broke, and preserve their relationships.
Some people need to go to court, and that's okay, but most don't. My goal is to reduce the blame game and play the solution game. My services center around communication skills, negotiation skills, conflict management skills, and consensus building.
If you know someone who can benefit from my services, please share my information. My websites are Grossman Law & Conflict Management and Florida Mediation Online.
If you want more tips on relationships, negotiations, and resolving conflicts:
The whole thing made me nauseous. How did I stupidly allow myself to get into this situation?
I was standing almost nose to nose with another junior high school classmate, and all the students around us were chanting, "Fight, fight."
I was trembling. I was numb. And I can't even tell you what we were fighting about. I can tell you that it wasn't anything important. I bet John, the other classmate, felt his insides shrinking also.
I know the fight started over something small. And then it became about pride. And about perception. What would other people think if I let John "win"?
But then something happened. My brain started winning over my emotions. I started thinking more clearly.
"Winning" wasn't the right question. I was not going to fight over something insignificant because of pride or peer pressure.
I started thinking about adults I respected, and what action I could take that would make them proud and impressed about how I handled the situation.
With the chanting at a feverish pitch and volume around me, I turned my back to John and pushed my way through the crowd. I walked away.
My legs were still trembling. My stomach was tight and small and had moved its way into my throat. But my brain was telling me with 100% certainty and clarity that I had made the right decision.
I never understood why people physically or emotionally fight. I just don’t see what benefit comes from beating each other up. Whenever I find myself on the verge of having a fight, I always look for solutions to avoid the fight. As a kid, I always struggled with avoiding a fight because I know other kids looked at that as the cowardly way out. I saw it is the smart way out.
I think avoiding all types of fights should be the goal. We spend way too much time protecting our egos and killing solutions.
I have found that most people do want to reduce conflict.
I am an attorney licensed in the State of Florida since 1991, a Family and Circuit Civil mediator certified by the Supreme Court of Florida, and an Arbitrator qualified by the Florida Supreme Court.
I am also the Chief Peacekeeper of Grossman Law & Conflict Management. I help individuals manage conflict more comfortably and collaborate.
I have handled hundreds of trials and mediations. I have advocated for thousands of clients in the court room. I represented the father getting his kidnapped children back from his wife. I represented the disabled unemployed wife requesting alimony from her husband who did not want to pay. I represented the mother who was protecting her children from their father's alcoholism.
I’ve spent years duking it out in court. I have seen numerous people handle conflict poorly. Their relationships are destroyed, the costs related to the conflict are astronomical, and the court proceedings are endless. The shame is that it can all be avoided.
None of my ability to argue in the courtroom should matter. Many years ago, I concluded that litigating a divorce or other family law matter is unnecessary in most situations. Furthermore, the fact is 95% of cases settle - the family comes to an agreement to end their case without going to trial. Still, most families spend thousands of dollars preparing for litigation that will never occur. Meanwhile, they fail to prepare for settlement negotiations, which is how they will most likely determine the outcome of their divorce.
People go to court because they don’t know better.
I’ve seen the light, and I’ve taken the path of the gentle warrior. What should matter to you is what I learned from all my time in the courtroom. Litigation taught me that there is a more effective way to resolve conflict. Litigation is a decision-making process, but it's not really resolving conflict. It's not solving problems. Cases take too long, cost too much, and destroy families. I have learned that you should commit to focusing on solutions that will work for everyone.
I am unique in that I combine my years of litigation, mediation, and training experience to find ways to bring peace to your life. I have primarily been a divorce and family law attorney during my career, and I promote Collaborative Divorce and Mediation because I know these no-court options provide more honor and respect when reorganizing a family.
After 30 years of practicing law, I am more secure than ever in my belief that finding solutions is better than fighting. I discovered that I play an important role in helping my clients to understand the value of solution thinking. I have to mentor my clients to think and behave in ways focused on solutions rather than fighting. I am proud of the book I wrote for my clients titled Does Every Divorce Need a Shark.
The concepts and methods that I learned working with my clients in these cases, I now share with other professionals also working with those families. It has become my passion to help people effectively manage conflicts in their lives. My goal is help people communicate better as well as to offer solutions to conflict at an early stage so that they stay out of court, don’t go broke, and preserve their relationships.
Some people need to go to court, and that's okay, but most don't. My goal is to reduce the blame game and play the solution game. My services center around communication skills, negotiation skills, conflict management skills, and consensus building.
If you know someone who can benefit from my services, please share my information. My websites are Grossman Law & Conflict Management and Florida Mediation Online.
If you want more tips on relationships, negotiations, and resolving conflicts:
- Read my blog at PeaceShark.com
- Register for my newsletter at KeithShares.com
- Follow me on Twitter and Instagram
- Connect with me on LinkedIn and at the Grossman Law & Conflict Management Facebook page
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The Lee County Association of Family Law Professionals awarded me the 2015 Hugh E. Starnes "Think Outside the Box" award for leadership, innovation, and dedication to non-adversarial practice.
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LET'S TALK
Contact me at Keith@AttorneyGrossman.com or schedule an appointment using my online calendar.