Legal Services
Family Law Issues |
Decisions about your family may be joyful or painful, but are always deeply personal. And when children are involved, these decisions can be some of the most difficult anyone will ever have to make. Laura will help you to protect your family when it changes. Laura can assist with legal agreements both before and after the marriage, including separation agreements. She can navigate you through the adoption process. And if divorce is the only option, consider a collaborative divorce - a private process that doesn’t declare war on the other side, gives you the best opportunity to co-parent in the future, and protects your greatest treasure—your children.
|
Faith Based Conflict |
People of faith don’t set their religious values aside in the middle of conflict. Faith is part of who they are. However, courts can’t take religious traditions into account when deciding the outcome of a case. As a committed Christian herself, Laura understands when her clients want an outcome that will both protect their legal interests and also honor their deeply held faith beliefs. She will help you explore options for resolution that can address both needs, all the while working to help you maintain your integrity during the legal process. If you are an individual or an entity whose core identity is defined by your faith, schedule a consult with Laura to see if she is the right attorney or mediator for your situation.
|
Collaborative Process |
At the courthouse, other people decide your future in a public and adversarial setting. Your relationships suffer further damage. Your strongest and most basic concerns might not even be addressed. You lose control over the amount of time it takes to get to the end, how much it costs, and the outcome. But there is another way! The Collaborative Law Process is a private settlement process using preplanned, face-to-face meetings with all clients and lawyers present. Other neutral professionals are used to efficiently assist as needed. You will exchange valuable information, address what is most important to you, control time and expense, and preserve future relationships as your professional team helps everyone achieve agreement. This solid process works for collaborative divorce, and also for many other kinds of legal conflict—custody disputes, will contests, business breakups, broken contracts, disputes with a faith-based component, and many more. For more information, visit Attorneys Without Litigation. Laura is an experienced collaborative attorney—contact her for a consult about whether the collaborative process is right for your situation.
|
Family Agreements |
Family relationships are complex. When family generations change, even the healthiest family can become strained to the breaking point. A single serious dispute can destroy the relationships of a lifetime. Addressing the needs of an aging loved one, or unexpected terms in a will (or the lack of a will) can tear families apart. Instead of an expensive court battle, many families choose to create a Family Settlement Agreement. This is an out-of-court option that can honor the desires of the loved one, while also addressing the needs of family members in a way that will protect and preserve the family relationships. Laura can guide you to determine what course of action is best for the health of your whole family.
|
Mediation |
Mediation is a settlement process using a trained impartial mediator to assist in finding a solution. The people in dispute are the only ones who decide the outcome. Mediation can take place over a single day or over several sessions. Both sides might have lawyers, or not. Laura is an experienced mediator, and offers mediation services to people in conflict and their lawyers to assist them in crafting a creative, customized solution to their problem so that everyone can say “Yes”. Laura charges $500 per party for a half day mediation, and $900 per party for a full day mediation. She offers special rates for non-profit entities.
|