Collaborative Law Institute Blog – Family Law Attorneys & Professionals
We’re Divorcing, What about Special Family Events?
No matter when a divorce commences, it is practically inevitable that there will be at least one special event—a child’s birthday, a graduation, a holiday, a family reunion—that occurs during the divorce process. Determining how to celebrate such events...
Divorce: Not One-Size-Fits-All
A recent article in Time Magazine called The End of Alimony discusses some of the potentially unfair and unrealistic outcomes that can result from the current family legal system. The example highlighted in the article discusses a second wife having potential...
Getting Unmarried Part I: The Beginning of the End of a Marriage
In this upcoming series of posts I will outline what I think were the most important decisions I had to make when in 2008 I began the journey to end my thirty-year marriage. It is my hope that readers of these posts will be able to reflect on their own circumstances...
Guilt and Ambivalence About Divorce
Debra Messing recently expressed guilt over her divorce and the fact that she and her husband couldn’t give her son “the fantasy” that her parents gave her in a marriage that was now ending. She said she and her husband both wanted to make it work...
The “Graying” of Divorce
While the divorce rate in the U. S. has been decreasing since its peak in the 1980’s, divorce rates for those over the age of 50 is at an all-time high. The divorce rate for this age group has doubled in the past 20 years. There are many reasons for this trend,...
Spousal Maintenance: First vs. Second Wives
Wow, the phrase “First vs. Second Wives” makes me cringe. There is so much wrong with it, or at least so much to dislike or be uncomfortable about. Let me count the ways (Keep in mind that this is in the context of Spousal Maintenance). It implies that...
Mutually Informed
“I am so glad we came in together, this has been so helpful.” This is a comment I hear so often from couples after they come in to meet with me together to talk about their divorce process options. Not all attorneys offer the opportunity to come in together but it is...
Waiting to Divorce Until Kids Have Grown, Does It Work?
My wonderful in-laws were married for more than 71 years. During their later years, visitors to their apartment were surprised to see a copy of The Collaborative Way to Divorce on their bookshelf. The confusion was remedied after it they explained that they felt...
The Best Wedding Gift of All
Have you ever attended a wedding where the groom’s parents refused to be in the same photograph? Do you know a bride who had to keep her divorced parents separated during the reception? The resulting tension can be palpable to everyone and can taint what should be a...
Hard Conversations With Elderly Parents
My parents are 87 years old and I have recently had to face their realities which include limited mobility, increased health problems, and questions about whether they should stay in their home, go to an assisted living facility, or get in home care. It has been hard...
