The Grey Divorce
{2:36 minutes to read} While the rate of divorce for the general population was relatively flat between 1990 and 2010, the divorce rate for couples age 50 and over doubled during that span. As a group, [...]
The “Mediation Friendly” Attorney
{2.9 mins to read} I have often heard mediators say that they recommend that their clients each see a “mediation friendly” attorney for legal advice either during or after the mediation process. But I do [...]
Why One Lawyer Is Better – Part 2
My last blog post, which discussed why I believe having one lawyer helping a couple to obtain a divorce is better than two, generated a lot of comments. Many of those comments caused me to [...]
Why One Lawyer Is Better than Two
In my last blog post I suggested that sending mediation clients off to separate attorneys was not being helpful. In response to this proposition one reader, an attorney and mediator from California, suggested that I [...]
Breaking an Impasse
Bob* and Mary* were about halfway through their first mediation session when Bob announced that he was never going to leave the house. He did not want the divorce and did not feel it fair [...]
Ode to Dale
My friend Dale died the other day. He was 45 years old, had a wife and a job that he loved, and suddenly he was gone. I was talking and joking around with him on [...]
Judicial “Approval” of Divorce, Part II
Many divorce lawyers, as well as divorce mediators, did not agree with my suggestion in a recent blog post that a couple be allowed to obtain an uncontested divorce without court approval (Judicial “Approval” of [...]
Preliminary Private Planning Sessions – Do They Work?
I just attended the Annual Conference of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation (NYSCDM) where I heard the keynote speaker, Forrest (Woody) Mosten, discuss “47 Things” every mediator should know or do. One [...]
Legal Advice vs. Legal Information
Are two attorneys better than one? This is the story of two couples who each wanted to end their marriage without becoming engaged in a lengthy and costly court battle. Unfortunately, they each obtained a [...]
A Parental Shift
In the not-too-distant past, most custody agreements provided that the children would live with mom, and dad would enjoy “visitation” on alternate weekends, and perhaps one evening each week. But nowadays I am seeing more [...]