A Special New Year Holidays have always conveyed huge significance for me, beginning when I was teeny tiny and my parents designated my birthday as always my very special day. On that day, I was allowed to do whatever I wanted: I could go to school, I could not go to school; I could have […]
New Year’s Resolution Check-In 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – Happy New Year! That’s right, the new year is here, and everyone’s talking about their New Year’s resolutions. It’s 2020. The beginning of the new decade especially offers us a time
Introducing Your Blended Family The American Psychological Association has reported that “about 40 to 60 percent of married couples in the United States divorce,” and in subsequent marriages, “the divorce rate…is even higher.” It appears that those seeking a second marriage, family, perhaps even a second chance at life, are at a higher risk of
Do DIY Divorce Apps Work? It’s no secret that our smartphones have become a shortcut for many of our day-to-day activities. “Hey, Siri, call Austin,” is a lot easier to say than picking up the old rotary phone and dialing a ten-digit number. And, instead of tethered to the wall in my kitchen for the
The Five Stages of Grief According to the Kubler-Ross Model, there are five stages of grief. This model was first applied to grief from terminal illness, but it translates to all forms of intense grief. There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. People do not travel through these feelings together,
A Good Mediator’s Qualities The best mediators will get to the heart of the issues early and will be present until a negotiation is reached. I’ve sat in mediations for over eight hours because the parties were close to an agreement, and no one wanted to leave until the matter was resolved. While it is
The Good Mediator A good mediator does some of the most important work there is. Rather than escalate a dispute towards litigation, her goal is to facilitate negotiations between parties so that they can hopefully reach a settlement, or at least, a partial settlement. This is important because it is an instrumental step in keeping
Find An Alternative Way To Divorce I’ve said it so many times . . . there is magic in the collaborative process. Unlike during my vast experience in litigation, I witness magic often in my collaborative cases. Take my recent collaboration in which I represented Jessica. During a heated argument, her husband, Mike had hit
Are You Spending Quality Time Together? Are there things you can say to or do with your partner before bed that will bring you closer, other than the obvious? As you wind down your day, this is really a good time to reconnect with your spouse. Dinner’s over. Baths are done. The kids are finally
A Quality Morning Most people don’t think of their morning routines as valuable time to bond with their significant others. Why not? Feel like you don’t have time? Always in a rush in the mornings? Too little time already to get the kids ready for school? Too busy making sure you’ve got the iPhone, your
