I was reading a memoir by Amy Poehler and was moved by her chapter about apologies. The entire chapter just an apology written ‘from the head’ followed by one written ‘from the heart’. I found the contrast very powerful and wanted to share them here. To me, it exemplifies how the words you say, and [...]
As more people learn about the benefits of collaborative divorce, one of the most common questions that comes up is "How is collaborative divorce different from divorce mediation?" What is Divorce Mediation? Divorce mediation is an alternative dispute resolution process (ADR) where a neutral third-party (Mediator) helps the spouses in reaching a resolution of all [...]
Even small businesses are complex entities, and when they are intertwined with a marriage, a split may dredge up layers of history and conflict. In any partnership, it is likely that there have been moments of tension, struggles for power, and disagreements. It is important to diffuse that pent-up tension and try to start a [...]
Splitting a business in divorce (or splitting a business under any circumstances) can be a messy business—but it doesn’t have to be. When spouses are guided through the collaborative divorce process by their attorneys mindfully, the end result can be incredibly transformative. But that is only if the process for separating and figuring out [...]
This is what Alec Baldwin would tell a friend whose marriage may be breaking up: “I try to tell people that, if they can, I say find a way that you can get into therapy and get into the collaborative divorce, you know, the dignified divorce because you are going to so regret if you [...]
Forbes Magazine recently published an article about a couple who went through a bitter divorce 25 years ago that split the family and split the family business. The wife got the company trade name and two stores. Husband got two stores and became his former wife’s fiercest competitor. They didn’t speak to each other. The [...]
Running a business can be stressful. If your business partner is your spouse, it can get even more challenging. A husband and wife team, Dave and Kathy, ran an event planning company I worked for soon after graduating from college. I always admired them for not only running their business well, but for maintaining a [...]
Guest Blog by Michelle Topal, MSW, LCSW The Impact on Children Separation and divorce is a difficult, painful process for everyone involved. It usually precipitates significant change and loss, and triggers in most people deep feelings of failure, lack of control, rejection and abandonment. Many things have been written about the impact the change to the [...]
Thanks to increased longevity and better health, more seniors are able to enjoy second marriages. Despite this trend, the North Carolina legislature recently changed the law so that the right a spouse has to choose to take a portion of their deceased spouse’s estate instead of what they would receive under a will no longer [...]
An attorney friend of ours was recently engaged to be married. She’s had a thriving law practice for years, and she thought it would be prudent to have a prenuptial agreement to protect her law firm just in case there was ever marital discord in the future. Her husband-to-be had no problem with her keeping [...]
You’ve heard of collaborative divorce. It sounds like it has significant benefits. But you’re not quite sure what “collaborative divorce" is. What makes it different from a “typical” divorce? In simplest terms, a collaborative divorce means your attorneys, and any other professionals involved in the process, are going to collaborate to help you minimize the [...]
Guest blog by Cora Hietpas, LMFT The dreaded “D” word. Many couples that come to see me have threatened, considered, or seriously discussed getting a divorce with their spouse. This makes perfect sense since the divorce rate continues to hover around 40-50%. I've witnessed divorces that are devastating, time consuming, and downright messy. On the [...]
As experts and thought-leaders in the collaborative divorce sector, attorneys Mark Springfield and Kerry Burleigh's firm, Springfield Collaborative Divorce, earned local and national headlines for their educational seminar for Stephen Ministries held in Raleigh, NC. News and Observer and other local publications covered the event, which also captured the attention of the Boston Globe, Miami [...]