April 17, 2024 -   Clare Piro, a family and divorce mediator and attorney, emphasizes the importance of creating a child-focused parenting plan rather than getting stuck on labels like 50/50 custody or primary residential parent. She suggests shifting the conversation towards understanding the children's needs and considering factors, such as their developmental stage, activities, and preferences for structure or flexibility. Practical considerations like living arrangements and [...]

February 7, 2024 -   Most divorces involve long-term marriages where there are many assets and possibly children to be considered. But what about a short-term marriage, especially when there are no children? Should you mediate the divorce or just let your lawyers hash out the terms? That might seem easier but it usually takes much longer and costs a lot emotionally and financially.If you would like more information about mediation, prenups, and family law, check out my website &mda [...]

June 7, 2023 - A couple of topics came up in a peer group that I run for divorce mediators that took the discussion to a more personal rather than professional level. The topics were raised by two members of the group who had suspended their careers during the time that they were raising their children, resulting in lost opportunities. They embarked on new careers. But what cannot be regained is those lost opportunities. If you would like more information about mediation, prenups and [...]

February 22, 2023 - This article is the beginning of a series about the disposition of the marital home for couples with children. When there are no children in the marriage, the usual plan for a divorcing couple is to sell and divide the proceeds. When there are children, one party may buy out the other in order for the children to remain in their school district, but today’s higher interest rates may complicate the buyout and the divorce.If you would like more information about me [...]

November 1, 2022 -   It’s that time of year when ghosts and goblins abound, scaring the kids and sometimes the adults as well. The overall feeling of being scared, anxious and out of control is very similar to how divorcing parents feel, especially when it comes to their children. A Child Specialist can advise you in ways to help combat those emotions. [...]

September 15, 2022 - {3 minutes to read} If you and your spouse have a lot of conflict between you, you're going to want to have as much detail as possible in your parenting agreement. Here are a few tips that can help you to achieve that during your mediation.  1. Speak Up.    Clearly, your mediator is going to be aware of the level of conflict between the two of you and will raise the issues that are most commonly addressed in Separation Agreements in terms of parent [...]

April 20, 2022 - {3 minutes to read} When I meet with clients who will have difficulty in making joint decisions about their children after the Separation Agreement is signed, the first thing we do is discuss a structure that will help them. If their level of conflict is so high that even after such a process, they STILL will be in conflict, we will discuss if they could agree to one parent making the final decisions. Or having one parent make final decisions regarding education issues [...]

January 19, 2022 -   The term Add-On describes expenses that are in addition to the standard child support expenses. There are mandatory add-ons outlined in the New York Child Support Statute (CSSA) but what about all the little or not so little extra expenses such as extracurricular activities for the children, tutoring expenses, birthday party expenses, etc. This video discusses those expenses and offers several ways divorced parents may decide to address them.  [...]

September 24, 2021 -   You're going through a separation and your communication with your co-parent is awful. You fight about everything. You're wondering: ''How are we ever going to be able to agree upon major decisions about our children, and what are we going to do if we can't make any decisions?'' Your answer to that might be: ''Well, maybe I should just say I'll be the sole decision-maker and I'll ask for sole custody.'' While that sounds rational to you, it's not going to have [...]

August 12, 2021 -   There are many special occasions to share in your life and the lives of your children. When divorcing, however, those occasions can become mini-battlegrounds, causing discomfort to visitors and your children. If you have children, you will be co-parenting for life. In mediation, we can build in ways to handle conflicts as the lives of you and your children move forward. [...]

May 18, 2021 - {3 minutes to read} The idea of a prenuptial agreement is familiar to most people — an agreement that a couple can enter into before their marriage that can provide how property and debt will be distributed in the event of death or a divorce. It can also provide for paying or waiving spousal support. But what exactly is a postnuptial agreement, and why would anyone want one? A postnuptial agreement is an agreement that a married couple can create to do the very th [...]

April 30, 2021 - {4 minutes to read} I often receive phone calls from potential clients telling me that they have settled everything and just want me to write up their agreement. When faced with this request, I explain that this is not what I do and why mediation would still be important even if they have discussed and agreed upon terms.  Terms that were Not Addressed Even if there are no minor children, it’s difficult to navigate through all of the terms that need to be con [...]