Divorce & Family Law

Family Law

Our clients deserve more than a simple and formulaic analysis of their legal rights and responsibilities. As counselors at law, our practice is both client-centered and family-focused. We envision our role as co-managers, working cooperatively to reach a resolution designed to incorporate the myriad of factors that are important to you. It is our duty to provide a well-reasoned perspective and develop a strategic approach on how best to address the issues in contention. However, this cannot be attained without the vital input and personal perspective that you share with us.

As we learn about your personal circumstances, we are better equipped and become stronger advocates. As we empower you through consultation, counseling, and education, you become more comfortable, confident and adept at managing your situation and the legal terrain. Through this ongoing and dynamic discourse, we will cooperatively forge a personalized and holistic strategy intended to reach the best resolution – for both you and the family unit overall.

One of the very first, and most important, considerations is whether the matter will be handled in accordance with the traditional/adversarial model, or if Mediation or the Collaborative Divorce model would be preferable. See more on the Family Law Alternatives. While we are prepared to litigate issues as circumstances may demand, the vast majority of family cases can, and should, be resolved outside of the courtroom. Indeed, we encourage all of our clients to consider whether dispute resolution alternatives would be appropriate, whether by engaging in Mediation, committing to the Collaborative Divorce process, or simply seeking consultation for assistance in navigating the legal process.

Traditional Mediation Collaborative

The CM&M family law practice includes:

- Divorce / Dissolution of Marriage
- Custody Disputes
- Collaborative Divorce
- Mediation
- Limited Representation
- Pre-Nuptial Agreements
- Post-Nuptial Agreements
- Post-Judgment Modifications
- Contempt Motions
- Spousal Support Orders
- Child Support Orders
- Legal Separations
- Guardian-Ad-Litem Appointments
- Appointments as Attorney for the Minor Child
- Limited Representation

Review Counsel

We also act as review counsel for parties that are engaged in mediation or otherwise wish to have an independent and objective assessment of proposed settlement terms. In our role as a consultant, we provide an opinion as to the overall viability of the settlement structure, assess provisions that may subsequently prove problematic, ensure that one realizes the ramifications of any particular parameters, offer potential clarifications as to ambiguous terms, provide alternatives to consider, and reflect on the likelihood of any court decision to provide insight as to any issues not yet settled. Most importantly, our role is to ensure that the terms of any proposed settlement accurately reflects the parties’ intentions, and are drafted appropriately. While always acting in a limited role, our representation can range from substantive input to the terms upon which one might be willing to agree, to mere review of an agreement that has already been made and ensuring that our client understands the same. The timing of our initial involvement likely dictates the role in which we are involved in this role.

Unbundled Services

Although many parties are desirous of negotiating the parameters of their divorce between themselves, most clients still wish to consult with legal counsel to ensure that their agreement is reasonable and/or to identify any potential pitfalls and/or oversights. We are available to help lead you through this process on an ad-hoc basis. Our unbundled services provides an a la carte menu for our clients that they may utilize in their discretion, including, but not limited to, consultation as to reasonable settlement parameters, negotiating various provisions, drafting/review of the requisite paperwork for their dissolution, and review of the proposed provisions to ensure that he/she has considered, understands and consents to the terms as provided therein.

Document Preparation

As many parties are independently able to settle all issues that are pertinent to their particular family circumstances, there might also be some reluctance to ensure that they might adequately be able to prepare all of the requisite forms for the actual dissolution proceedings. We can help by assisting you in preparing the necessary paperwork to ensure that it is an acceptable format, and helping to educate you as to what you can anticipate in the formal legal proceedings.

Divorce & Family Law

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