Arthur J. Grossman

A FEW THINGS ABOUT ME:

Graduated at the top of my Florida law school class, and immediately went on to achieve my post-doctorate Master of Laws degree in Dispute Resolution from The Straus Institute at Pepperdine University Law School in Malibu, California.

In 2011, I was trained in Collaborative Divorce and co-founded a law firm in Winter Garden, Florida with my Wife, where we helped hundreds of people with divorce and other family law problems.

Served on the Board of Directors for the Collaborative Family Law Group of Central Florida.

Currently volunteer my time to serve on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Bar Association’s Family Law Committee and the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals.

Barrister member of the exclusive Central Florida Family Law Inn of Court – a member by invitation only group of lawyers and Judges.

Invited as a guest speaker on a wide variety of topics such as collaborative divorce, negotiating with confidence, apology in business, how to communicate in the middle of conflict, communicating with highly emotional people, difficult conversations between men and women, and interest-based negotiation.

Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii and grew up in Silicon Valley, California.

Attended Bellarmine College Prep, a Catholic private high school, and graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. I worked for various Fortune 500 companies, including New York Life Insurance Company and The Clorox Company.

MY STORY

THE EARLY YEARS:

As far back as I can remember, creativity and dreaming of what might be possible have always been a focal point of my life. I have a self-directed spirit that was nourished and cultivated during my early years, and I found the arts have always served as an outlet for my creativity and individuality. Today, practicing law is my art, and Leap Frog Divorce is my unique creation.

It started with my Mother’s desire to send me to a different kind of school…something that had a strong arts focus. So, Montessori preschool was my first art-focused experience that helped me develop a strong sense of purpose and self-directed leadership.

If you are not familiar with the Montessori philosophy, it is basically this…the teacher follows the lead of the child and the children are free to make choices about how they spend their time. My teacher was not the leader of the pack, demanding that I fall in line and follow a prescribed teaching guideline. Rather, she was my guide, helping me discover things that interested me the most.

It was during my early years in Montessori where I began to develop my problem-solving, co-operation, conflict resolution, and social skills that I have carried with me to today working closely with people like you helping you solve problems and resolve conflicts.

No wonder I always seem to thrive in places that appeal to my innate curiosity and afford me the opportunity to guide others in their journey to reach a goal!

So this was the beginning of becoming invested in and excited about work I chose myself and continuing to feel like a sponge…soaking up incredible amounts of knowledge about work that interested me.

THE FORMATIVE YEARS:

Pinewood Private Elementary School in Los Altos, California was my educational home until high school. Its a school that was started as an after-school arts program where the students learned to see their worlds from different perspectives through performing, singing, and dancing on stage, along with painting, drawing, and sculpting.

This is where I learned how to confidently express myself in a respectful and vivid way and where I developed my enthusiasm for and comfort with public speaking.

My ability to present a client’s case effectively and persuasively comes from my Pinewood education and experiences.

HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE:

I attended Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California. Bellarmine was founded in 1851 and is a private, Catholic high school for boys that provides a Jesuit education focused on faith, justice, and truth. It is focused on shaping boys into men by cultivating their gifts and talents to ultimately put those talents into use in service to others.

My experience at Bellarmine formed my dedication to service of others. This dedication to service of others, combined with my strong desire to lead and follow my own path, is what propelled me to become a lawyer. After practicing law for over a decade, I recognized a tremendous need for greater access to legal services. So, I created Leap Frog Divorce.

I entered San Jose State University, in San Jose, California as a Business Major. This education is one of the things that makes me very different from many of my fellow family law lawyer colleagues. I love math…I love numbers! I’ll let you in on a little secret…there’s a joke in the family law legal community that many became lawyers because they couldn’t stand the sight of blood and hated math.

So I learned about financial accounting, managerial accounting, advertising, marketing, communication, strategic management, economics, statistics, quantitative business analysis, business finance, and operations management.

No wonder I am very comfortable working with clients who are self-employed business owners. I have helped so many self-employed people through divorce, and I enjoy working with them and helping them solve divorce problems related to their businesses. It would also explain why I am so comfortable working with a wide variety of financial experts who are needed from time to time in divorce situations.

MY EARLY CAREERS:

So, right out of college I worked for New York Life Insurance Company, a large, 150+ year-old corporate behemoth. My work experience here continued my service to others commitment, helping people solve financial problems.

After a number of years, I eventually left and worked in management for a small, private startup payroll processing company in their Information Technology department. From the age of 13, I became very familiar and comfortable working with computers and computer-related technology. I don’t want to date myself, but this was back when computer screens were text-only and the text was green!! Oh, and we had to use floppy disks too!

Later, I worked for The Clorox Company in their corporate headquarters in Oakland, California, managing a team of professional computer system problem solvers helping people around the world solve computer and technology problems.

Along the way, I also owned my own computer consulting business and a portrait photography business.

LAW SCHOOL:

Life has a funny way sometimes of presenting us with opportunities that shake our world. Life handed me an opportunity to leave California and go to law school and finally fulfill my dream of becoming a lawyer. What was it that life brought me to create this opportunity? A divorce! Yes, my Wife of 8 years and I got a divorce.

So I packed my car and drove from California to Florida for law school.

My Mother and Father both graduated from law school and passed the California Bar Exam. So, I grew up in a household where “lawyer-speak” was a common occurrence. And, I was always intrigued with the idea of practicing law in service to others!

Law School is where I met my current Wife, whom I love beyond what my words could express. We practiced family law together in the law school clinic helping lower income people get divorced and helping parents get their children services they needed in school.

After we graduated together, we were both accepted to The Straus Institute at Pepperdine School of Law, the #1-ranked Dispute Resolution program in the U.S., for our post-doctorate, Master of Laws degree. Yes, after 3 years of full-time law school, we wanted more education and experience, so we signed up for another year of full-time study focused on conflict resolution and settling legal disputes.

We both worked incredibly hard and feel so thankful and blessed for the amazing opportunity and for all the wonderful, international friends we made.

LEGAL CAREER:

After passing the Florida Bar Exam on my first attempt, my Wife and I opened our own law practice in Winter Garden, Florida. Our practice focused 100% on divorce and other family law matters. Day in and day out we worked with people, helping them transition their families during divorce.

We worked with doctors, nurses, lawyers, business owners, sales people, bankers, financial professionals, engineers, accountants, students, and so many other wonderful people from all walks of life, cultures, and careers.

Our firm was successful for years and helped a lot of people. In order to provide my wife with a different career opportunity, we decided to close our practice, and I joined another local firm still working 100% helping families transition during divorce.

Establishing Leap Frog Divorce is a win-win for you and me. You get the benefit of my experience, aggressive advocacy when necessary, advanced education and training, and a stellar reputation in the legal community. I get the freedom to provide people like you with hope, security, and a positive experience during an incredibly stressful time.

Like so many others, I hope you will give me the incredible opportunity to work with you, protect you, and solve your legal problem.

LET’S TALK