Mediation--the best way to move forward when the rest of the world is standing still. With worldwide pandemics, civil strife, and courthouses that are all but shut down and inaccessible, what can be done to move your stalled cases forward? In a word: mediation. Mediation could probably help solve several of the world’s pressing issues at the moment, and it can certainly help you and your spouse, or former spouse, or your child’s other [...]
Caronavirus: Covid19. Now what? The world is presently in uncharted territories, and it is no less so for families, grappling with the management of day-to-day life in the parenting of children of divorce. Some families intuitively know exactly what to do and focus on the ongoing and developing needs of their children with agility and grace. Other families however will find that this crisis will exacerbate and magnify their dysfunction and result in greater acrimony [...]
(OR, HOW NOT TO BE THE GRINCH THAT RUINED CHRISTMAS FOR YOUR CHILDREN). The holidays present a unique challenge for divorced and separated parents. For purposes of this article, I am not simply talking about the ordinary stress of separation, divorce, and adjusting to parents living in two separate households; rather, I am talking about the enhanced stresses attendant to the holidays that are experienced by the children of divorced or separated parents. For [...]
(OR, HOW NOT TO BE THE GRINCH THAT RUINED CHRISTMAS FOR YOUR CHILDREN). (OR, “WINTER IS COMING” AND HOW TO AVOID IT) The holidays present a unique challenge for divorced and separated parents. For purposes of this article, I am not simply talking about the ordinary stress of separation, divorce, and adjusting to parents living in two separate households; rather, I am talking about the enhanced stresses attendant to the holidays that are experienced [...]
Important changes have taken place to the tax laws regarding spousal support, and dependency exemptions, among other important changes. There still seems to be a great deal of confusion regarding the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that became law on December 22, 2017. Many key features of prior versions of the tax code enabled divorce attorneys to craft settlements for their clients that were beneficial to both parties, thereby creating a [...]
Last week we looked at the warning signs to look for to identify if someone you find yourself involved with has the potential to become an abuser as the relationship develops. This week we look at potential signs to look for to identify whether someone you know is being abused. If a family member, friend or coworker begins to exhibit any of the following signs, that person may be in an abusive relationship. Look [...]
WARNING SIGNS: SIGNS OF ABUSE, OR HOW TO TELL IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS BEING ABUSED BY A SPOUSE, DATING PARTNER OR FAMILY MEMBER Abusers are clever. Rarely does an abuser enter into a relationship announcing their intentions to break down, demean, and ultimately abuse someone they are starting a relationship with. Rather, the torrent of abuse starts with a trickle, and gradually builds towards a river with a current so strong [...]
Why don’t more divorce couples use arbitration in divorce in Ohio? Contrary to what some people believe, including many divorce lawyers, arbitration is available as an option to resolve many issues for Ohio families experiencing divorce. In arbitration, a single arbitrator, or a panel of arbitrators will conduct a hearing, and take evidence from the parties and make a decision regarding the issues in controversy between the parties. The arbitrator makes a decision, which is [...]
Every week or so, I read online with great interest how one of my divorce attorney colleagues has “taken the pledge” to litigate no more, and only accept cases that are going to be resolved through collaborative divorce, or mediation. These pledges are typically posted in listservs, or blog posts, which are devoted to collaborative divorce, and those of us who practice collaborative divorce. Shortly after one of [...]
For a number of high conflict families after divorce, repeated trips to court yield nothing more than deeper wounds, more firmly entrenched positions, chaos and retaliation, resulting in a never ending spiral of emotional and financial damage to all concerned. And while some high conflict families eventually learn to coexist (parallel parenting) and some eventually learn to cooperatively coparent their minor children, there are a number of high conflict families who may never learn to [...]
