Kane Law & Divorce Mediation Services - Kirkland/Bellevue/Issaquah/Redmond/Seattle

        I  have been remiss in my posts during this long and wearisome winter.  But I have my excuses.  In mid-January, my co-tenants and I were rudely informed that our landlord had lost its master lease and we needed to vacate our Bellevue digs within a week.  So, that’s how I ended up at Carillon Point in Kirkland.  I’m on the 4^th floor of Bldg. 5000 just across from the parking garage which validates parking for my clients. My new office number is 425-605-6336. This office and restaurant complex lies on the   shores of Lake Washington a couple of miles north of I-520. We have a good view of Northeast Seattle on the clear days. It’s a peaceful setting for a peacemaker.

        Unfortunately, moving offices is anything but peaceful. There are cards, stationary, envelopes, brochures, etc. to be designed, printed, and paid for—all the indices of permanence in this transit world of ours.  Meanwhile, the recession and winter have continued relentlessly—that is until spring made an appearance this past week.

        Spring is a time for renewal and new life.  Just as the cherry blossoms have emerged, the stock market is showing signs of life.  Clients tell me that they haven’t had the nerve to open their investment reports but I’m predicting that will end with the good news from Wall Street.  There are signs that this painful recession is on the wane and splitting up assets might not be such a painful reality check as we move into April.

        Divorces are painful enough as it is.  Emotions run high.  The good news is that mediation continues to offer an economically and emotionally satisfying alternative to traditional court-centered divorce.  And the collaborative process really does provide that necessary “safe container” for couples needing the support of a professional team to successfully navigate the shoals of divorce.

        The challenge is that too few divorcing couples are aware of these life-giving options to traditional divorce courts.  This spring, two of my mediator colleagues and I have dedicated ourselves to developing a third option—the voluntary use of a mediator at the earliest stages of a traditional divorce to help  cooperative lawyers and their cooperative clients gather relevant information and negotiate successful outcomes outside the court process. MORE OF THIS IN MY NEXT POST.