http://kanelaw.net Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:55:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When married couples in the Seattle-Bellevue area contact me to inquire about what early stage divorce mediation looks like, they are usually motivated by (1) saving money, (2) fear of lawyers/legal fees, and (3) the desire to maintain a good relationship with their spouse.  They are also, by ... http://kanelaw.net/2010/06/06/saving-money-in-divorce-mediation/ In my last post, I discussed the important direct benefits of Divorce Progress Notes.  Celebrating the interim agreements reached, reminding couples of their homework to prepare for the next session and creating the agenda—these deliverables all serve to help couples move through parenting and property issues to decision-making ... http://kanelaw.net/2010/05/11/the-indirect-benefits-of-mediation-progress-notes/ The last six months have been so busy with new divorce mediations and collaborative divorce cases that I’ve totally blown my goal of monthly posts on this website.  Website visitors last heard from me as the autumn winds were blowing.  Now the decks are getting cleared just as ... http://kanelaw.net/2010/04/20/the-importance-of-progress-notes-2/ Labor Day is the traditional end of summer vacation and return to work.  Not surprisingly, As a divorce mediator and collaborative lawyer, I see an upsurge of calls from couples who have deferred the hard questions of how to best conclude their marriages and parent their children in separate households.  ... http://kanelaw.net/2009/09/30/autumn-transitions%e2%80%94moving-toward-your-preferred-future/  There are three kinds of collaborative divorce that I recommend to clients, depending on the circumstances.  In order of cost-savings over traditional litigation, the options are: (1) mediation, (2) the collaborative team process, and, (3) two attorneys working together cooperatively as settlement counsel, with the assistance of a mediator on ... http://kanelaw.net/2009/05/09/collaborative-divorce-costs-less/           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, ... http://kanelaw.net/2009/03/25/transitions-and-springtime/ This week’s issue of the British magazine, The Week, reports that it’s been a bad week for divorce lawyers.  The editors point to a survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.  The survey’s finding is that the recession is making it too expensive for many couples to split up.  ... http://kanelaw.net/2009/01/20/divorcing-economically-collaboratively-in-a-recession/ I suspect that the economic meltdown that began in earnest in mid-September is a factor in causing many couples to “hunker down” instead of starting divorce mediation or a collaborative divorce until their balance sheets will improve and their homes will regain value and liquidity.  My anecdotal evidence is a sudden ... http://kanelaw.net/2008/12/17/the-connection-between-recession-and-divorce%e2%80%94a-matter-of-timing/ People often ask me if divorces are seasonal as if calls for my services as a mediator wax and wane with the moon.  The answer is a qualified “yes.” My take is that couples contemplating divorce would rather put it off during family orientated times of the year such as ... http://kanelaw.net/2008/10/16/early-stage-divorce-mediation-during-economic-downturns/ Early Stage Divorce Mediation requires information gathering by couples between sessions with their mediator.  Without reliable data identifying and valuing the property to be divided and the budgets of wife and husband going forward, it’s impossible to make good decisions about property division and the need, if any, for spousal ... http://kanelaw.net/2008/08/01/the-importance-of-homework-in-divorce-mediation/