Divorce mediation in Chicago is a peaceful alternative to the typical adversarial process involved in a litigated divorce. In mediation, parties work out legal issues, including custody decisions, living arrangements, property division, spousal support and child support. Parties turn to divorce mediation in Chicago because it is usually faster and cheaper than litigating the case.
I was asked to write this article from the perspective of a non-attorney Divorce Mediator. Divorce mediation, as with a traditional divorce, tries to achieve the same end result, a set of agreements that are equitable and can be lived with by both parties. Where they differ sometimes is that mediation is also about helping
In my last blog post I suggested that sending mediation clients off to separate attorneys was not being helpful. In response to this proposition one reader, an attorney and mediator from California, suggested that I had a low opinion of attorneys. I hope not. I have been a proud member
TAMPA — He got the furniture. She got the car. They split custody of their daughter and everybody’s happy. The divorce of Tyler Nelson and Pamela Burton will be finalized on Friday, but they didn’t have to go through years of litigation or deal with months of acrimony to legally end their marriage. The couple
Maybe “lies” is a bit strong. Maybe you’re more comfortable with the words “myths” or “stories”. I was, when I originally titled this article, but the truth is, there are divorce lies out there. And many people suffer needlessly when they’re trying to recover from divorce as a result of believing these untruths. I suffered
Over my many years of specializing in family law I have handled thousands of divorces. These have run from very simple, uncontested matters to complicated cases. Many involve custody and other disputes regarding children. I have also had divorces where people have fought over millions of dollars in assets. The question that I am posing,
Are you stuck in a bitter divorce fight? Couples often get caught up with their perceived injustices in the divorce settlement negotiations. The disdain that they personally have for each other usually just adds fuel to the fire when negotiating. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we believe to be right that we
As a divorce lawyer for the past 17 years, I get to meet and speak to dozens of people every week regarding their relationships and the problems they encounter in their marriages. Having counseled thousands of people, I am privy to both the underbelly of marriage and divorce. In the same way that people get
In my almost 28 years on the bench — most of which I spent presiding over family matters in the Circuit Court of Lake County in Waukegan — I had a front-row seat for an amazing display of human nature. I met families in crisis, parents in stress, and children in trouble. They arrived in
In today’s economic environment, it is a very difficult decision to opt for a divorce and end a dysfunctional relationship. Today there can be enough stress in people’s lives to make them hesitant to compound that problem by adding the stress of a divorce. However, there is a proven and slowly growing alternative to the
