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Category Archives: Collaborative Divorce
Select the Right Pros For Your Massachusetts Divorce
If you are contemplating a divorce in Massachusetts, take the time to carefully select your professional support team. With the economy still taking its toll, it can be tempting to try and get through your divorce on the chap or even without any help at all. Remember when you thought about saving for a rainy day or an emergency? This is it - and you should be careful when hiring people to help you through your divorce. Sure, it might be tempting to hire someone based on price, or maybe even try to get through the process without a [...]
Divorce, Sociopath Style by Stephen McDonough, Esq.
According to the research, you are likely NOT a sociopath. Although that is great news for all of us, you may, however, be a little grumpy, yearning for warmer weather, and overworked - oh wait, that’s me. Nevermind. So why all this crazy talk? I was reading fellow Massachusetts divorce lawyer Nancy Van Tine’s blog, and she had an interesting post which I think all ya’ll should read. (Please note, I have included the phrase “all y’all” as a shout out to fans of The Divorce Collaborative LLC in – or from – North Carolina). Nancy’s post Sociopaths Among [...]
Helping Children Through Divorce, by Divorce Coach Betsy Ross, LICSW, CGP
The Divorce Collaborative LLC of Medway and Attleboro Massachusetts is pleased to introduce our colleague and guest blogger, Betsy Ross, LICSW, CGP. Betsy is a Massachusetts divorce coach and a member of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council. Betsy’s expertise in collaborative divorce coaching, couples/family therapy, and group dynamics helps her to assist clients in emotionally managing the difficult feelings associated with divorce, establish healthy co-parenting skills, and plan for a better life going forward. Betsy has offices in Stoughton and Sharon, MA. What can you do to minimize the negative effects of divorce on your children and your family life? Here [...]
Collaborative Divorce, Divorce Mediation Provides More Lasting Benefits, by Steve McDonough, Esq.
Turn marital conflict into lasting solutions If someone casually approached you at the mall and asked you if you preferred dispute resolution or conflict resolution, how might you answer? Probably something like “get away from me you big weirdo!” It is an interesting question however, and one I never quite considered in the way described in an interesting article by Seattle, WA collaborative divorce lawyer J. Mark Weiss concerning the differences between dispute resolution and conflict resolution. The article, posted on Mark’s blog, is a reminder about the differences between just getting through your divorce, versus actually resolving some of the [...]
Reduce Your Massachusetts Divorce Legal Fees
I have yet to meet a client who is excited about paying lots of money for their Massachusetts divorce. If you are one, please call me right away! As consumers, we like to know how much something will cost. It is difficult to plan otherwise. Let’s compare divorce legal fees to another relatively unpleasant task – car shopping: Chuck, a Car Shopper: “So, how much will this car cost me?” Salesperson: ”Well, tough to say. Could be $30,000.00. But it could be a lot more.” Chuck: “Why is that?” Salesperson: ”Well, there are a lot of variables. I am [...]
What Do We Make? by Steve McDonough, Esq.
I was watching television earlier tonight - on Valentine’s night as a matter of fact – and saw a commercial for BMW automobiles. It was a fairly long spot during the olympics, right after I decided that I will never try skiing moguls. I don’t even think I would want to walk on them. The announcer on the commercial mentioned that of course BMW makes cars, but what they really make is joy. The ad showed lots of pictures of happy people in BMWs. I thought it was a good commercial, and then wondered as a divorce lawyer and mediator, [...]
Free Divorce Seminar on Wednesday, December 9 at TDC
Just a reminder that The Divorce Collaborative will be sponsoring a free seminar on Wednesday, December 9th at 7:00 pm, at our offices located at 77 Main Street, Medway, MA. For more information and to register, please visit the info box to the right. We are pleased to have Dr. Sandy Portnoy, noted divorce coach and therapist, joining us to discuss the effects of divorce on kids, among other things. The next monthly seminar date is January 6, 2010. Seminars are conducted on the 2nd wednesday each month at 7:00 pm. Please check the site for updates.
Social Security and Divorce
I have received couple of questions on how divorce may affect social security benefits over the past week, so I thought a post on this topic might be helpful. First, a good point to remember is that social security is a federal system, and is thus controlled by federal regulations. Social Security benefits cannot be bargained like other assets or retirement accounts since the receipt of social security benefits, how they are paid, and to whom are all controlled by federal law. This is why you don’t see sections on social security benefits in divorce agreements. A divorced [...]
Suggested Reads
There are two books that I frequently suggest to clients with school-age children, so I thought it might be helpful to reference them in a short post. An overwhelming amount of material exists on divorce, some of it good and some of it harmful. When you do find a helpful resource, don’t foget to share it with your spouse as early in the process as possible. The first is The Good Divorce by Constance Ahrons, Ph.D. This book provides valuable information for families making the transition from a nuclear family to a “binuclear” family that spans two households while [...]
Collaborative Divorce to the North
OK, I have to admit it. I almost used the words “Great White North” in the title, but decided against it. The law firm of Niren and Associates in Toronto has a good post about collaborative divorce today on their blog. Good to see Collaborative Divorce gaining momentum around the globe, as it appears to be in Massachusetts. A new practice group of collaborative professionals recently formed in Norfolk County, MA – another good sign that the collaborative process is becoming more popular with clients and practitioners alike. You go, Collaborative Divorce!
