A friend and colleague of mine, Attorney Mark Baer, gave a great spech at the Divorce Expo in Detroit on March 23, 2012. He did a great job of explaining many of the new and more effective options available for families transitioning through a divorce. Here is the text:
Mark Baer’s Keynote Speech Given at The Divorce Expo in Detroit, Michigan on March 23, 2012.
Watch my friend and colleague, Hildy Fentin, Esq. on Fox News San Diego talking about Collaborative Divorce and Divorce Mediation. http://www.fox5sandiego.com/videogallery/68438067/News/Ask-the-Shrinks:-Divorce
The author in this article presents a very interesting take on fidelity in marriage. The idea of “financial fidelity” is a good one. So many of my divorce clients arive at the decision to end their marriages over money issues. As a divorce professional, I appreciate the advice to have a moderate response with financial “cheating” is discovered. Many of my clients opt for a postnuptial agreement when such happens as a way to prevent the marriage from disintegrating. Having a written agreement with clear understandings of the financial boundaries and what is expected from a spouse can have a huge impact on the success or failure of the marriage going forward. I also support having the prenup discussion prior to marriage so that a marrying couple can have the money conversation. This prevents misunderstandings and incorrect expectations from developing down the road.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Mr. Baer sums up my thoughts regarding the seeming increase in domestic violence in custody disputes. I am convinced that the adversarial litigation process for resolving family issues has contributed significantly to the level of hostility between parties. While some parties will be dangerously violent no matter what environment they are in, we can help reduce conflict in many cases as attorneys be referring folks to forms of alternate dispute resolution such as mediation or collaborative divorce. Even in a litigation context, attorneys should be careful not to “fan the flames” of the conflict. Much can be done to reduce the chances that a particular family will move into dangerous territory. Here’s Mr. Baer’s articles:
Every now and then I will get involved in a negotiation where one of the parties struggles with the concept of negotiating and sharing. Such a person wants all of what he or she wants and is simply unwilling to compromise or share in any way. Obviously that makes my job harder.
I came across this video about a negotiation over waffles that pretty much sums it up for me.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/Mj00ii1BLV8]
If you need help with a difficult negotiation, feel free to contact Shawn Weber at 858-345-1616 or visit our website at www.bravewebermack.com .