The beginning of a new year gives people the opportunity to make positive changes and make the new year a better one than the last year. And whether many people dismiss resolutions like this, they can make a powerful difference in your future happiness if you follow...
Divorce With Respect
Mediation And Collaborative Divorce
New California divorce law targets the family pet
Until Jan. 1, the family pet has accorded the same status in California divorce proceedings as the family television. Now, thanks to a law signed in October by Gov. Jerry Brown, pets will have similar status as children. While the new law requires judges to consider...
Tips for negotiating when it comes to dividing property
In California, the law requires parties to divide marital property equally in the event of a divorce. While dividing everything in half may seem easy enough, the process can be quite complicated and contentious. As such, it can be valuable to prepare for some...
3 must-have qualities for divorce mediators
In cases where soon-to-be ex-spouses are on relatively good terms, mediation provides many benefits over a traditional divorce. If you and your ex decide to enlist the assistance of a mediator to help you settle divorce-related matters, it’s important that you...
How mediation can benefit children during the holidays
Halloween kicked off a holiday season that is sure to be busy. Thanksgiving, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah and Christmas are stressful for all families, but they take a particularly difficult toll on families that are splitting up because of divorce. If you are a parent who is...
Why your children will thank you for choosing collaboration
Your marriage is over. After years of trying to make it work, you and your spouse made the heartbreaking decision to divorce. Despite this decision, you still love and respect each other. You are also committed to co-parenting and doing whatever is necessary to...
The many benefits of settling a divorce outside the courtroom
The divorce process is often painted as contentious, dramatic and painful. And while there are certainly divorces that look like this, it does not have to be this way. In fact, most people in California can avoid the worse parts of the divorce process by opting for...
2 options for resolving divorce-related matters outside of court
When people think about divorce, they often imagine that the process takes place in a courtroom and in front of a judge who will make rulings on divorce-related matters like child custody and spousal support. However, in reality, people typically resolve these issues...
3 ways to prepare for mediation
If you are getting divorced in California, you will go through the mediation process, whether you choose to or the courts order you to. Mediation can be a faster, more peaceful way to resolve divorce-related matters than litigation, and it can allow parties to...
Understanding the collaborative divorce process
When parents divorce, they rarely cut ties completely. They often work together to raise their children, which means that they may be communicating with each other, making decisions together and showing up at the same events for their child for decades to come. With...