In more than 20 years in practice as a family law lawyer, I have seen first-hand that a "win" in court is often not much of a win for the families involved in a court case. I became disheartened by the cycle of conflict I witnessed, and the inability of a court process to effectively manage it.
So about seven years ago, I ventured out of my traditional court-modeled practice and sought alternatives I could offer people to help them stay out of the courthouse, preserve resources and relationships, and protect children from chronic family conflict. I found there were creative alternatives to running to the courthouse at the first blush of disagreement, and I realized that people often are not informed of those alternatives, simply because the traditional lawyer is not familiar or comfortable with them.
Providing information about the alternatives available to resolving a disagreement is foundational to my way of practice, and my clients are given options and choices all along the way to help them decide how they wish to proceed.
Among the options my clients are informed of are Mediation and Collaborative Law. These are terrific options for people to consider when they want to stay out of court, have their own lawyer advocating for an equitable settlement and/or have a foundation of allied professionals to support them. I am specially trained as a Collaborative Lawyer and Mediator, and can provide assistance to my clients in these processes. In a confidential personal consultation, I can describe these options, and more, in greater detail.
I still get into the courtroom from time to time. But I have a different eye toward conflict now. Given what I know now about how people resolve disagreements, my clients can be assured that if they find themselves on the courthouse steps, all other avenues of resolution have been sought and the only alternative remaining is to seek the court's guidance to solve the problem at hand.
Click here to learn about my background.