Blog

Empathy in Mediation Is a Skill You Can Develop

Ask a room of lawyers which of them is empathetic and watch what happens. A few hands go up slowly. Most people look at the table. Underneath that is an assumption that empathy came issued at birth, and if you didn't get any, you facilitate paperwork and hope nobody...

Mediators Need Muscle Memory

Years ago, a client of mine was a Navy SEAL Commander. He was kind enough to permit me to bring a group of Boy Scouts I led to the Navy SEAL Training Center in Coronado. The kids were mesmerized. He showed us where the SEALs train, and where they suffer. We went to...

Don’t Panic: How to Stay Calm During Divorce Mediation by Trusting the Process

Fans of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy know that the guide offers one essential piece of advice in large, friendly letters: Don’t Panic. This is especially important when you’re wondering how to stay calm during divorce mediation. It is good advice for travelers...
I have a successful business. I built it myself with years of my hard work. My husband didn’t do anything to help. Shouldn’t the business be awarded to me as separate property when we divorce?

"Should" is simply the wrong question to ask when considering whether you have a community property business. The right question has more to do with what "is" under the law. California is a community property state. This means that anything that was acquired through...

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The Weber Dispute Resolution Divorce Song List

By Shawn Weber, Attorney and Mediator Ok… so I have been writing all of these serious posts on my blog about important things like child support, custody, division of pensions, blah, blah, blah. . . . This post is an attempt at a little levity in what is otherwise a...

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