Collaborative Law Institute Blog – Family Law Attorneys & Professionals
Divorce with Respect: The Habits of Respect
What happens to couples who threaten each other when it comes to divorce? It’s an automatic response, which happens on a physiological level first. What some brain researchers refer to as the “fight, flight or freeze” phenomenon is an automatic survival mechanism...
The Power of Respect when Children are Scared
“I’m just really, really scared all the time.” A nine-year-old shared this during her child-inclusive post-divorce mediation. This was not because her parents were often in disagreement and she sometimes felt in the middle of it (she did), but because of where each...
Divorce with Respect: Overcoming a Revenge Cycle
“Revenge is a dish best served cold” is a popular saying which perhaps originated with Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, the French author of Dangerous Liaisons. Typically, that phrase has meant that revenge planned in patience, over time, yields superior results. ...
Two Attorneys Walk Into a Prenup: Collaborating for Your “I Do”
By Melissa Miroslavich and Katrina Viegas As collaboratively trained attorneys, we often find ourselves in a unique position—advocating fiercely for our clients while simultaneously collaborating with the other side to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome. It’s a...
Building a Secure Future: Integrating Estate Planning with the Collaborative Divorce Process
The collaborative divorce process offers a constructive and forward-thinking approach to navigating marital transitions. By prioritizing open communication and shared goals, collaborative practice facilitates the resolution of complex issues with respect and a focus...
Käri McGuire on Collaborative Divorce: How Trust, Clarity, and Teamwork Empower Families
In this episode of the Minnesota Collaborative Divorce Podcast, hosts Judy Johnson and Jennifer Morris welcome Käri McGuire, Senior Client Service Associate at AJW Financial. Käri brings years of experience supporting families through the collaborative divorce process...
Two Paths, One Decision: The Divorce Dilemma
Emily and Daniel were in love. Their love story had once been the envy of the neighborhood—a whirlwind romance that blossomed into a marriage filled with laughter, shared dreams, and whispered secrets. But as the years went by, cracks appeared in their fairy tale....
Zooming into a Stress-Free Divorce: How Zoom Meetings Offer Comfort and Convenience
In recent years, how we handle many of life’s pivotal moments, including the sensitive divorce process, has shifted dramatically. The introduction of tools like Zoom into the collaborative divorce process has transformed how meetings are conducted and brought...
Influencing Co-parenting Behaviors
According to the authors of Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change (Joseph Grenny et al, 2013), there are 6 sources of influence: personal motivation, personal ability, social motivation, social ability, structural motivation, and structural ability. I will...
When the Co-Parenting Issue is Safety
When the Co-Parenting Issue is Safety Safety is close to the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It is core to children’s ability to become resilient. It can also be a very difficult topic to address during a divorce. Here’s how the issue can arise during a...
