Ron Ousky (’82) Wins ABA Problem Solver Award

The ABA's Section of Dispute Resolution has announced that Ron Ousky (’82), who lives and practices in Edina, Minn., will receive the Individual Lawyer as Problem Solver Award for 2015. This award, first presented in 2002, is given to a member of the legal profession who has exhibited extraordinary skill and creativity in promoting the concept of the lawyer as problem solver or in effectively resolving problems at the individual, institutional, community, state, national, or international level. Ousky will receive his award at the Section of Dispute Resolution annual conference, in Seattle, on April 17.

For the past 20 years, Ousky has been an international leader in family law and the collaborative law movement, focusing particularly on increasing the accessibility of legal and other professional services for divorcing families. "I am honored to receive an award that reaffirms my strong belief that couples facing divorce need options in addition to litigation," Ousky said. "I have committed my practice to helping families understand the collaborative process and the tools available to them. However, if litigation is the only option, as it is in many cases, I am willing to work with clients to usher them through that process."

Ousky co-authored the widely used manual The Collaborative Way to Divorce: The Revolutionary Method that Results in Less Stress, Lower Cost, and Happier Kids—Without Going to Court (2006). He served on the board of the Collaborative Law Institute of Minnesota (the first collaborative law organization in the world) for 10 years, including 3 years as president. He has also served as a board member and president of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, which has more than 5,000 members in 24 countries.