By Kristofer Michaud Inter-group conflict—Montagues vs. Capulets, Sharks vs. Jets, Crips vs. Bloods—often culminates in episodes of unplanned, catastrophic violence. These cathartic but often gruesome incidents must then be interpreted after the fact by the stereotypically level-headed third parties called upon by the criminal justice system to prosecute, defend, and ultimately judge the perpetrators. These …
By Bill Eddy One day I was meeting with a husband and wife for their second or third divorce mediation session. They were high-powered, both in upper management positions. I thought that their family mediation would be like a business meeting. But no! At the beginning of this session, the husband leans over shaking his …
In the long list of available options for divorce resolution, a couple may wonder what collaborative divorce is. It is usually considered along with a variety of other alternative dispute resolution options for divorce, usually right around mediation and negotiation. At first glance, some people may assume it is just the couple working together to …
Couples that decide to divorce while one partner is pregnant may be wondering how to deal with divorce while pregnant. Getting divorced under “normal” circumstances is stressful and difficult, but adding the extra stress of pregnancy to the situation may be too much for some people. Additionally, the overwhelming nature of divorce, especially divorce with …
Collaborative Law vs Mediation: what should you pick? Amy and Bob Cromwell married ten years ago and have three children. The spark between them died years ago. They work together in the family business, Cromwell’s Crackers. After some painful conversations, they have decided to divorce. The Cromwells do not want lengthy and contentious litigation that …
While the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry were expanded by the Supreme Court in 2015, there are still many issues when it comes to same-sex custody cases. Cases, where the parents of a child are of the same gender, can have a variety of unique issues that the Courts will have to …
When couples are getting divorced, they may wonder what a settlement agreement is for a divorce. If their only exposure to divorce is the long court battles that include lawyers yelling at each other and parties that refuse to speak after, they may not know that there is another way to achieve the goal of …
When parties are considering using mediation to help them separate effectively, they may wonder how to prepare for separation mediation effectively. For some, they may not even know what mediation entail, and they will have no idea how mediation will work for them. Mediation is a commonly used practice, especially in family law matters, yet …
A child support mediator can help parents agree on what is often one of the most highly contested issues in a divorce. Every party in a divorce will have an idea of who should be paying child support and how much they should be paying, so it can be difficult to find a common ground …
Among the many other considerations that need to be made when parents are getting divorced, the father-daughter relationship after divorce will need to be considered when families with daughters are splitting up. This relationship is one of the many relationships that can be strained during the family’s separation. There are also risks from both sides …