An expert family and divorce mediator, a PhD candidate in the area of Conflict Management within the Family, mediation trainer and keynote speaker. A member of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, of the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators, and of the Connecticut Council for Divorce Mediation and Collaborative Practice. Michelle’s goal oriented yet empathetic mediation style and her extensive knowledge in the field of mediation and conflict resolution has allowed for many couples to end their relationship and resolve their disputes in the most peaceful, amicable, respectable and affordable way.
Success Stories
Mediation success story – Rose and Danny
Rose and Danny came to our office with a unique proposition. They were ready to file for divorce, but they wanted to work out a settlement which would allow them to remain in the marital home after the divorce, until their son graduated from high school. Danny owned his own company. Rose worked part time for Danny’s business, but had predominantly been a stay at home mother. They had been married for nearly 20 years and due to the length of the marriage and the disparity in incomes, it was nearly assured that Danny would have to pay spousal support to Rose.
Had they hired separate attorneys and litigated their divorce, Rose and Danny, due to the spousal support and business valuation issues, would most likely spend a year in litigation and would have paid tens of thousands of dollars in attorney and expert fees.
Instead, during the following six weeks, we had a number of mediation sessions. I was able to assist them in reaching an agreement on all of their issues. We came up with a plan that would allow the parties to remain in the house together post-divorce, but also came up with an alternative in case it did not work out and the parties decided to separate. They also reached an agreement on a creative spousal support plan in which Rose will be paid a certain percentage of the business income. This allowed Danny to continue to operate his business without causing him financial hardship and allowed Rose to receive her share of the value of the business and spousal support.
We drafted an agreement, which contained all of the provisions of the settlement. They were divorced four months after their first meeting.
Mediation success story – John and Linda
John, a doctor, came to the office because he had discovered that his wife, Linda, was having an affair, and he wanted to file for divorce. Despite being angry about the affair, he wanted to complete the divorce with minimal disruption for their two young children.
Had they hired aggressive attorneys to litigate the divorce, the civility between them likely would have been quickly destroyed, as John’s attorney would likely have made an issue about the affair. This would have made conversations regarding custody very difficult.
We spent our first meeting creating a snapshot of the marital assets. We agreed that we needed additional information regarding the value of certain assets, which the parties obtained themselves without the usual course of sending subpoenas or hiring appraisers.
After several meetings, the parties reached an agreement. In spite of the painful cause of the divorce, the parties were able to complete the process quickly and discretely.
Mediation success story – Steve and Nicole
Steve and Nicole are both doctors and had been married for more than 25 years. Due to their high incomes, they had several million dollars in investments, in addition to a large home and other real estate. Steve told us that he wanted to keep their finances private and their children as protected from chaos as possible.
Instead of sending interrogatories, serving subpoenas and taking depositions, the parties exchanged documents regarding the values of their assets. Once we had a complete picture of the marital assets, both parties signed affidavits swearing that all of the assets were included in the divorce. The couple agreed to share the custody on their children, child support was determined, and the details of the parenting plan were discussed and negotiated.
