I have been a divorce attorney since 1992. I was trained as a divorce mediator in 2000 and received my first training in Collaborative Divorce in 2004. In 2018 I decided to stop taking on traditional court centered work and I now focus exclusively on Collaborate Divorce and mediation. Here’s why:

I litigated divorce cases for over 25 years, and rarely did I see anyone coming out of that process feeling good about themselves or the outcome. Litigation takes the control of the process away from the client and puts it first in the hands of the attorneys – and if there is no settlement – in the hands of a judge. But attorneys and judges don’t know as much about the client’s situation as the clients do. Client’s feelings and needs in the process are not recognized. There is no chance of a “good outcome,” only a “less bad” outcome, with the deciding factors on whether that “less bad” outcome is achieved being controlled by the attorneys and judges. The outcome of far too many cases appeared to me to be arbitrary and capricious. After trying a case in court for eight days (which were spread out over five weeks because of the court’s scheduling problems), only to arrive at an outcome that was unsatisfying and expensive for both parties, I decided that I could no longer participate in good conscious in a system that requires clients to pay such an enormous cost (both financially and emotionally) for such an unsatisfactory process.

It is my experience that Collaborative Divorce and Mediation reduce the trauma of divorce, increase the possibility of both parties feeling good about how they showed up during the process, and help make the adjustment for children much easier. These out of court processes offer healthier ways for people to move through this painful part of their lives in a way that can often be empowering. Now that I no longer go to court I can once again feel proud of my profession and I feel honored to be associated with attorneys, coaches, and financial professionals who are committed to the peaceful resolution of what can often be the most difficult and stressful transition in our client’s lives.