Who is the “Custodial” Parent? Part 2
Tony and Mara never married. However, they lived together for a while and had a son in 2007. When they separated, their son, Alix, went to live with Mara. Tony was very successful, financially. By [...]
Who is the “Custodial” Parent?
Nowadays most couples I work with want some type of shared parenting so that each parent spends a significant amount of time with the children each week. I often see couples who divide time with [...]
Intergenerational Generosity – The Wise Route
Surprisingly, there are quite a number of cases where wealthy parents make a regular monetary contribution for the benefit of their married child’s family. It might be a mortgage payment or a regular monthly gift [...]
What’s Your BATNA? The Legal vs. the Emotional Divorce – Part 2
In divorce mediation, when someone examines his or her BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) they are looking at both the best and worst outcomes if their dispute were to be decided by a [...]
The Limits of “Self-Determination”
I recently worked with a couple who wanted a divorce as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the wife was not working, had no means of supporting herself, was attempting to obtain disability benefits and the husband [...]
“Equitable” Does Not Mean “Equal”, Part II
In Part I of Equitable Does Not Mean “Equal”, I discussed how a couple whose financial goals were very different during their marriage reached an agreement when they ended the marriage despite having different ideas [...]
How I Went from Litigator to Peacemaker
In 1996, after 16 years as a divorce attorney, I converted my divorce litigation practice to divorce mediation. In this video, I talk about the events that led me to this decision. Feel [...]
Why Mediate Your Divorce?
Just ask Joe and Suzanne This is the true story of Joe and Suzanne, who were married in 1986, separated in 2003 and were still battling in court in 2012. This is what happened. Although [...]
Emotional vs Legal Divorce
In my mediation practice I often encounter couples who arrive at my office in different places emotionally. One of them is ready to end the marriage while the other is still hoping it can be [...]
It’s That Taxing Time of Year Again
As you probably know by now, Congress acted just in time to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff” by passing the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. While there are many provisions of this new tax [...]