OUR BLOG
A Talk on the Subject of Collaborative Law
This past week I gave a talk and participated in a panel discussion regarding the collaborative law process for the Clearwater Bar Association. What follows is a synopsis of my presentation. To explain the inefficiencies and cost of the typical litigated...
How Architecture Affects Communication During Meetings
The relative success or failure of meetings, whether with clients, colleagues or outside speakers, depends in part on how the space makes people feel. Particularly with regard to meetings that are held in a collaborative law context, how the room is set up as well as...
A Role for Lawyers in Restoring Civil Discourse
Civil discourse is on the decline in America. Well-reasoned policy arguments are largely replaced by mutual insult, and unpopular ideas are shouted down rather than refuted. Lawyers committed to civility are in a unique position to be a positive influence on the...
Bullying in the Legal Profession: Intimidation is in the Eye of the Beholder
As an attorney who has practiced family law in Clearwater, Florida, for a long time, I recognize that a crucial aspect of lawyering is the dignity and professionalism with which an attorney carries him or herself. However, as was observed recently, it is not always...
The Importance of Gratitude for Parents and Children
“In some communities, specifically among the white middle and upper-middle class, there’s good reason to believe that kids are less grateful than in the past,” says psychologist Richard Weissbourd, faculty director of the Making Caring Common initiative at Harvard’s...
Mindful Listening
A practical example of mindfulness being integrated into daily life is “listening.” Most of us do not need to be persuaded of the importance and challenge of effective communication and the central role that listening plays. So, too, we know only too well the...
The Perils of Polygamy
In the West, rich and powerful men regularly swap older wives for younger ones, thus monopolizing the prime reproductive years of several women. But that allows for a few wives in sequence, not several at the same time. There are those who argue that polygamy should...
Divorce: Accepting What You Cannot Change
As a practicing marital and family law attorney in Clearwater, Florida, for over 34 years, I often encounter clients who are in crisis. This can take various forms. One common experience for people going through divorce is the acceptance of some part of life that is...
Divorce Case in the United States Supreme Court: Dividing Military Retirement Benefits
It is exceedingly rare for any controversy to make it to the United States Supreme Court. The court hears approximately eighty cases per year out of the seven to eight thousand that are filed. It is rarer still for the court to hear a divorce related case. It is...