Empathy in Divorce

An initial reaction is likely to be, "Why should I have any empathy for my divorcing spouse?" In fact, empathy is a skill that can help you better settle your divorce issues. Empathy is the ability to see things from the other person's point of view. When you can do that, you reach a better under...
March 14, 2014

The Problem is the Problem

My wife and I are planning on meeting to go out to lunch today. However, we have not agreed on where to go. She mentioned La Isla, but I'm thinking India Bistro. When we meet, there are several scenarios that could play out: One is that we could both insist on our own choice: we argue, we fight a...
November 15, 2013

Can My Spouse and I Use the Same Lawyer in a Divorce?

We frequently hear from people who are working out their own divorce settlements amicably, and they want to hire a single lawyer to assist them in completing the divorce. They even are considering the same lawyer to advise them as to what their final settlement should look like....
October 18, 2013

Post-Divorce Parenting Mediation

A friend of ours recently pointed out an interesting article by Silvana D. Raso titled Using Mediation to Keep Your Cool During Divorce and Beyond. In the article, Ms. Raso makes the very good point that post-divorce parenting is often prone to disputes after their divorce is over, and that working...
October 4, 2013

Seeing Things Differently

This week I went in for cataract surgery. The next day when the bandages came off, it was quite amazing how everything looked different than what I was used to. Things are more brightly colored, they look a little closer, I can see great at a distance, but I need reading glasses for close up. Basica...
August 9, 2013

Differing Definitions of Mediation

Mark Baer wrote recently in a Huffington Post article "What Does Mediation Really Mean?" about how the definitions of Mediation mean different things to different people, and how the vagueness that creates can be confusing to the client. He refers to three different forms of mediation that all get l...
May 31, 2013

Can We Hire Mediators Instead of Lawyers?

Since we do both mediation and representation, we are often contacted by people who want to hire one of our lawyers as their mediator so they can get everything done by one person. However, the functions of mediators and lawyers are different, even when the mediator is a lawyer. We act as a lawyer w...
May 10, 2013

Secrets to Getting to Agreement Out of Conflict

You may think "There is no way we'll be able to reach agreement, we're too far apart." However, Dispute Resolution professionals can help you move past those differences to find ground for agreement....
April 5, 2013

Negative Thinking

Guest blog by Joseph Shaub, Marriage and Family Therapist & Mediator "Criminal lawyers see the worst people at their best; divorce lawyers see the best people at their worst." (Attributed to Thomas Concannon, Jr., Former Mayor of Newton, N.J. and Family Lawyer) Divorce puts enormous pressu...
March 29, 2013

The High Cost of Litigation

Litigation is an expensive process. Divorces that go all the way through trial can often run $50,000 or more for each spouse. Not only that, but there are other costs as well - including a huge emotional cost for the parties, damage to parenting relationships, and fallout for the kids. Fortunatel...
March 22, 2013