It is my opinion, after 33 years of practice, that law practice has taken a terrible turn away from serving clients’ needs and serving as true counselors for clients. The change that is called for lies in alternative dispute resolution such as mediation, collaborative law, and arbitration. The change also lies in a complete revision of the way we treat people and handle situations in the litigation environment.

Family law cases involve families. This means that the handling of the family law case impacts lives. And the lives are not just impacted for a certain situation; they are impacted for the rest of their lives. When children are involved, the impact is obvious. The divorcing couple faces a lifetime of having to work with each other as they care for their children. There are also an infinite number of lifetime events, such as birthdays, holidays, boyfriends and girlfriends, sports and other activities, graduations, marriages, and grandchildren, that are there to be shared and enjoyed. In light of this tremendous impact on lives, family lawyers have a unique and particular responsibility to look for ways to make the family law case resolve in a constructive manner.

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