Message from the Chair

• Publication year: 2021
• Author: Stephen A. Montagna, CFLS

Message from the Chair

Stephen A. Montagna, CFLS

"Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn't it? If you're comfortable while you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong." - Ted Lasso

Looking back on the last couple years, being Chair of FLEXCOM has been anything but comfortable. I began this journey in September 2019, bright eyed and bushy tailed, eager to make my mark on a section that has historically contributed much to the community of family law. Like my new favorite visored/mustached protagonist, I could not wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Things didn't go as planned, as was the case for most things since COVID-19 came into the picture. The January 2020 meeting was the last in-person meeting the committee would have under my leadership. Educational programs which typically are held in person, were either forced to be held via online mediums, or cancelled altogether. Even our ability to personally hand out the family law section awards and celebrate the recipients accomplishments in person, became an afterthought. Basically everything that I had hoped and envisioned accomplishing as Chair of this section seemed to be going down the metaphorical drain.

Much like Ted Lasso, I believe in communism. Rom-communism that is. As Ted explains, it is a worldview that reminds us that if all of those characters in romantic comedies can go through some light hearted struggles and still end up happy, then so can we. Believing in "Rom-Communism'' means believing that everything is going to work out in the end. Now it may not work out how you think it will, or how you hope it will, but it will all work out, exactly as it's supposed to. I realized probably later than I should have, that my job was to have zero expectations about my time as Chair and to just let go, knowing that in the end, it would all work out the way it needs to, which ultimately it has.

I have been blessed with an amazing team of committee members and advisors who made sure that we continued moving forward. Articles continued to be published, education continued to be delivered, and our legislative team provided the technical commentary and analysis for the bills which affected family law over the last two years. Our affirmative legislation team drafted and proposed Assembly Bill 429...