Family & Divorce Mediation Articles
Sharon Pickett - A Remembrance (1/05/09)
Carl Schneider Sharon Pickett, 58, died of breast cancer on August 30, 2008 in Bethesda, Maryland. Here is a remembrance of Sharon and her contributions to the field of conflict resolution.
They Started To Fight When The Money Got Tight (12/29/08)
Richard Sharp This article asks must differences over scarce and limited financial resources be determined by divorce court room battles? In answer it suggests that choosing the right method in the beginning could save separating and divorcing couples, time, money and tears in the long term.
Stocking Stuffer! (12/23/08)
Nancy Hudgins, Debra Synovec Holidays are a busy, stressful time of the year whether you are in the process of getting divorced or not….so why add stress by bringing up taxes? Because taking a little time to do tax planning may save you substantial tax dollars!
Peace and Joy! (12/14/08)
Nancy Hudgins, Debra Synovec Holidays can be a sad and stressful time for people in the midst of divorce... but you do have a choice about how you celebrate the holidays! Most people want to have peace and joy in the Holiday Present rather than being haunted by the Ghost of Holidays Past! Here are some ideas.
Keep Kids Out Of The Middle! (12/08/08)
Nancy Hudgins, Debra Synovec Do you want your children to thrive after divorce? First, learn to communicate respectfully and stop saying negative things about the other parent...at least when the children can hear. Keep your children are out of the middle and take steps to prevent parental alienation. Mediation can help.
How Elder Mediators Differ from Other Eldercare Specialists (12/01/08)
Debbie Reinberg The use of mediation in elder/adult family conflicts is still a rather new concept. Other eldercare professionals may seem threatened by the arrival of yet a new specialty group marketing to the same “boomer” population. There are certainly areas of overlap between elder mediators and elder law attorneys, geriatric care managers, and psychotherapists, yet there are also clear distinctions. And, there are many appropriate referrals to be made back and forth.
A Glimpse into the Separation of Two Gay Couples (11/24/08)
Dr. Lynne C. Halem Gay couples, not unlike straight couples, have different stories to tell, different issues to resolve. Yet since Massachusetts’s legalization of gay marriages, the “divorcing” population can be divided clearly into two distinctive sets: one group “living together outside of marriage” and the other “married.”
5 Realities About Prenuptial Agreements -- Why Having One May Be a Bad Choice for Your Marriage (11/24/08)
Laurie Israel Recently many articles have been appearing on the internet extolling the virtues of entering into a prenuptial or premarital agreement prior to your marriage. I offer the following reflections from my practice of law and work as a mediator to strongly counter the idea that prenuptial agreements have no “cost” and provide only benefit to a marrying couple.
Happy Thanksgiving! (11/24/08)
Nancy Hudgins, Debra Synovec Holidays can be a stressful time for many families, divorce adds even more complexity because of the changes to routines and family traditions. The most important thing to do is to be civil with your former spouse and keep your children in mind so that they can enjoy the holiday and the turkey….no matter how you feel. Here are some tips!
When To Start Mediation (11/10/08)
Nancy Hudgins, Debra Synovec It is in your hands…..you can contain the flames by choosing mediation. You can start mediation anytime, but the best time to start is in the beginning of the divorce process.
Telling The Children (11/03/08)
Nancy Hudgins, Debra Synovec Keep your children from feeling they have to choose! How parents tell their children about the divorce sets the stage for how the parents will co-parent in the future and has a significant impact on whether the children thrive………no matter what you do legally, both of you will continue to be parents.
The Best Interests of the Children (10/27/08)
Nancy Hudgins We encourage parents during divorce to put their children first. This can be hard to do when you are in the middle of conflict. It reminds me of a cartoon in which a guy is standing on a sidewalk and there’s a sign above him with an arrow pointing down to where he’s standing which says: “In the Thick of It.”
Wild Ride! (10/21/08)
Debra Synovec The stock market’s been a wild ride over the past year and unlike rides in amusement parks the ride is NOT amusing! The situation increases anxiety for divorcing couples who are already stressed out and feeling the pressure of financial shortage….and it creates havoc for asset valuations.
No Dukes (10/14/08)
Nancy Hudgins I liken litigation to duking it out. There are three main drawbacks to litigation. (Yes, this blog has a bias.)
Blended Families: Protecting Children The Second Time Around (10/06/08)
Dr. Lynne C. Halem Second marriages are a time for new beginnings, dreams of romance and adventure may abound. Then, too, there are the concerns. Most disturbing of all are the worries that center around entitlements of children.
John Haynes Distinguished Mediator Award Presented to Peter Salem (10/02/08)
Peter Salem, Executive Director of the Association of Family Conciliation Courts, was awarded the John M. Haynes Distinguished Mediator Award by the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) at its Eighth Annual Conference, September 24-27, 2008 in Austin, Texas.
Contemplating My Navel and Conflict Resolution (9/14/08)
Laurie Israel At my age, I find my thoughts wandering backwards in time, with long-lost memories bubbling up occasionally. I ponder these memories and cherish them. I parse them for meaning, like dreams in the night remembered suddenly the next day, with a jolt of recognition into their inner meaning.
Sidetaker lets bickering couples submit disputes to court of public opinion (9/10/08)
Diane J. Levin If you seek proof of civilization’s decline, look no further than Sidetaker, a site that lets the public be the judge in spats between quarreling lovers.
Don’t bother to seek nuance or middle ground here; there’s plenty of blame and fingerpointing for couples bickering over everything from toilet flushing habits to illicit affairs.
Sidetaker (slogan: “let the world decide who’s at fault”) of course is in this for the greater good:
…far too many...
(9/09/08)
Keith Seat
Litigation continues in John Cleese’s third divorce – along with payments by Cleese of £900,000 a year – much to his chagrin. Cleese suggested to his wife that it would be easier and fairer to go to mediation, but is facing an aggressive litigator. By contrast, Cleese stated that his first two divorces were “very peaceful” and civilized using mediation.
Telegraph.co.uk (July 24, 2008)
(9/09/08)
Keith Seat
Mediation can be very helpful to preserve relationships among heirs who get into squabbles when dividing estates left by their loved ones. While conflicts can be minimized through proactive steps to make decisions and provide clear final wishes on disposition before death, there are also numerous techniques ranging from blind drawings to drawing cards that can provide processes for allocating assets that seem fair to all involved.
Toledo Blade (July 6, 2008)
Five Characteristics of Successful Family Law Practitioners (9/08/08)
Elizabeth Ferris I have been coaching and working with family lawyers, mediators and collaborative practitioners across North America and Europe for the past 8 years and have observed the characteristics of highly successful practitioners . Here are the five characteristics that I’ve found that work for practitioners who have succeeded in building a family law practice.
Mitigating High Conflict Divorce Disputes (8/24/08)
Brook D. Olsen High levels of parental conflict have consistently been shown to be among the most destructive factors in both intact and divorced families. Currently, we have an epidemic of children caught up in the chaos and turmoil of parental conflict.
Seven Ways to Improve Your Working Relationships (8/24/08)
Victoria Pynchon Thanks to Kevin's Remarkable Learning Blog (a fellow Forbes Blog Network member) for his Seven Steps for Mending Broken Business Relationships.
Each of the seven steps can help litigators de-escalate the conflict inherent in litigation before all-important settlement negotiations, whether they are conducted with the assistance of a third party neutral or not.
One or more of them might also help ease tension in the law firm -- a very tense place these days given the ...
(8/13/08)
Keith Seat
A research report on an appropriate mediation model for long-term care facilities concluded that care could be improved by involving residents and families through mediation, but that intensive outreach is required within facilities. Many cases referred to mediation were not mediated due to barriers from lack of knowledge of potential benefits and availability. The report was published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Health & Medicine Week (August 4, 2008) (Subscription Required)
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