What is Alternative Dispute Resolution – “ADR”?
ADR. simply put, is coming to agreements and making decisions for your family without Court intervention. You and your partner are deciding your parenting plan, your asset division, what to do with your home – not a judge. It is a courageous choice, and it allows you to participate in and make decisions that will impact the rest of your life. You and your partner know your children and family finances better than anyone – ADR is the choice to keep as much control over these decisions as possible, and not leave it to combative attorneys and a busy judge.

 

There are many forms of ADR:

 

Mediation

Mediation is where you and your partner meet with a single mediator, who will help you gather your relevant documents, isolate the issues confronting your family, generate options to address those issues, work through disagreements to reach consensus and prepare the final paperwork. The mediator doesn’t represent either of you, nor do they provide legal advice, although they will, when appropriate, share the law as it applies to your case.

 

Attorney Davis had her first mediation training in 1995. Since then, she’s served as a Special Master for the Hartford, New Britain and Litchfield JDs, and she was an original Special Master for the Regional Family Trial Docket (“RFTD”). Attorney Davis offers mediation for divorcing couples that addresses the division of their assets and helps them to set a reasonable parenting framework for their family.

 

Day-long Mediation Sessions

These sessions are offered to divorcing couples who are facing trial dates. In a daylong mediation session, these parties hire a mediator for a full day to work through the thorny issues to reach a settlement. The agreements they reach are sent by the mediator to their attorneys so that the attorneys can draft a separation agreement.

 

Attorney Davis has developed an affordable day-long mediation model for couples to resolve their disputes prior to trial. Utilizing a neutral approach where there are no proposed orders or position statements, she helps couples to take a fresh look at the issues preventing resolution.

 

Mediation Review Counsel

Sometimes when in mediation, you might feel more secure if you have an attorney you can meet with, who will advise you on the law and make sure that you are representing yourself well in your negotiation sessions. This attorney won’t attend the meetings or contact the mediator, but they will review the financial affidavits and tentative agreements, and make suggestions as to additional negotiations that you can make with your mediator.

 

Collaboration

Collaboration is where you and your partner each hire a team – you each have a collaboratively-trained attorney, and you share a financial advisor and mental health coach (the “neutrals’.) Sometimes you work just with a neutral. For example, you and your spouse might work with the mental health neutral to develop a parenting plan, or with the financial neutral to create budgets and asset listings. The full team works with you to resolve more complex issues of parenting and asset distribution in a series of meetings. Your attorneys will advise and advocate for you but they are also trained in mediation and active listening.

 

Attorney Davis received her first collaborative training in 2004, and has trained annually since then. She is a member of the International Association of Collaborative Professionals (“IACP”) and the Connecticut Council for Non-Adversarial Divorce (“CCND”). She was a founding member of the Connecticut Collaborative Divorce Group (“CCDG”), the Central Connecticut Collaborative Family Law Group (“CCCFLG”) and the Collaborative Connection of Connecticut (“CCC”).

 

Parenting Plans for Unmarried Couples

When an unmarried couple has a child together, it is often difficult for them to sort out their future parenting. Many times, the parents do not know each other well, and discover that they are miles apart on their parenting philosophy. Any orders from the court will have to be through a custody action.

 

Attorney Davis mediates these developing parenting plans, helping the couple to focus on raising a child with someone they may not know well. She will explain how child support works and assist in the calculation.

 

Parent Coaching

Often after families negotiate a parenting plan, they struggle years later as their family situations change. Rather than return to court, these parents can meet with a parent coach to explore communication issues and changes to the parenting plan without returning to Court.

 

Attorney Davis was trained as a Guardian ad litem (“GAL”) and served in that capacity for over twenty years in the Hartford, New Britain, Litchfield, Waterbury and Tolland JDs. She trained in language acquisition and brain development in children. She’s taken her skills and applies them now to working with high-conflict families, helping them to develop skills in communication and problem-solving.

 

Pre-Nuptial and Post-Nuptial Agreements

Pre-Nuptial and Post-Nuptial Agreements are a creative ways to resolve future difficulties before they lead to a divorce. These agreements help couples identify their assets, set a budget and plan for their future.

 

Attorney Davis explores with a couple how they look at finances and parenting, often finding and resolving difficulties between the couple before they become an issue. Is one of you a saver and the other a spender? Attorney Davis can deal with how that can be managed right at the beginning of your marriage, so that it doesn’t create tension.

 

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