Attorney Karen J. Levitt was a guest lecturer again this past fall at the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover, MA. Karen spoke to a lively group of law students in their Collaborative Justice course, taught by Assistant Dean and Professor of Law Paula Kaldis. Karen spoke about Collaborative Law, its use in divorce and family law, and its application in business and probate disputes. Karen focused on the Collaborative Law process, training to be a Collaborative Law attorney, and the intentional focus on settlement in Collaborative Law which is different than the traditional ligation model which is focused on “winning”. The law students were very astute in their questions, really wanting to learn about different kind of dispute resolution processes. Law students often have no real life experience in dispute resolution, and as lawyers will ultimately be part of some type of dispute resolution process whether it is in or out of court, Karen enjoys teaching and sharing her knowledge and experience with law students. Karen formerly taught legal research and writing to first year law students at Boston University School of Law.
Author: Karen Levitt
Innovative and Strategic Use of Neutrals in Mediation
Attorney Karen J. Levitt’s presentation at the 2019 fall joint conference of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, Association of Divorce Financial Planners, and the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, with Susan M. Miller, CPA/PFS, CFP®, CDFA, Managing Director and Senior Wealth Advisor of The Colony Group, Wellesley, MA, and Karen Ela Kenny MSW, LICSW, of Nashua, NH, on “Innovative and Strategic Use of Neutrals in Mediation” was a success! Not only did 300 people attend the conference, but for the first time ever at this conference some of the presentations were selected to be live streamed and Karen’s workshop was one of them! The live streaming including attendance from coast to coast and around the world, including South Africa, Australia, Israel, Greece, France and Canada, for this first of its kind conference experience for a national mediation organization.
Pictured are Karen, Susan, and the “other” Karen at the conference after their presentation. The use of neutrals in mediation is often underutilized, and Karen wanted to share with participants how to identify what kind of neutral is needed, how to help the parties select the neutral, determining how best to work with the neutral and the clients in mediation, and learning how to be strategic as a mediator when using a neutral. The concepts provided at the presentation are also relevant to Collaborative Law and litigation. When using the term neutrals, it can encompass financial neutrals, vocational experts, business valuators, child specialists, and a myriad of other professionals to assist with specific issues in mediation. It can actually be less cost to clients to use a neutral for a particular purpose as the neutral is usually experienced and knowledgeable on a specific topic, and approaches the conflict from both parties’ points of view. The next APFM conference is this fall in Phoenix, Arizona, for more information go to www.apfmnet.org.
Tis The Season for Divorce (and Dispute Resolution)? Why More Marriages end in August
Are there “Seasons” for Divorce?
Vacations, outdoor events, the beginning of a new school year – for many, August is synonymous with family time. But for some, this month marked the season for divorce.
Research from the University of Washington found the number of divorce filings in a number of states consistently peaked in the months of August and March. What’s behind the seasonal up-tick? Several factors could be at play. “Rather than a time of bonding, the holidays and vacation periods can often lead to disappointment as couples and families discover that increased time together may exacerbate existing problems rather than help mend them,” Anne Tamar-Mattis, attorney and Executive Director of the IACP said.
Tamar-Mattis is the Executive Director of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), a global membership-based organization that aims to keep these divorcing couples and their children out of court by using Collaborative Law. Continue reading “Tis The Season for Divorce (and Dispute Resolution)? Why More Marriages end in August”
Collaboration: What does it really mean?
You have finally decided to move forward with divorce and to consult with an attorney. However, you don’t know what to expect. You have heard horror stories about what happens in Court, and you are concerned about the impact of divorce on you and your family, both emotionally and financially. You really want to work things out by agreement with your spouse, but don’t know how best to do that.
You have heard about Collaborative Law and Mediation; or maybe you haven’t heard either of these processes, but the lawyer you consult tells you about them. Or what if your spouse consults with a lawyer first, and tells you that they want to proceed with divorce using the Collaborative Law Process or Mediation? Continue reading “Collaboration: What does it really mean?”
If Only I Had the Key….
Cryptography is defined by the Oxford English dictionary as “The art of writing or solving codes”. If you find the “key”, you can unlock the “code”.
Divorce or other family breakups often result from parties not being able to communicate, or decrypt the other’s “code”. Lack of communication and understanding are at the root of much marital discord; no matter how hard they try, whether it is through talking, writing, couples counseling, texting, email, crying, apologizing, doing all things humanly possible to understand one another, sometimes couples just can’t crack that code. Continue reading “If Only I Had the Key….”
Attorney Karen J. Levitt Faculty at September 2019 MCLC Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Training
Attorney Karen J. Levitt will be one of the faculty at the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council’s Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Training, scheduled for September 19, 2019 and September 20, 2019 at MGM Springfield, MA.
The training will benefit a wide variety of professionals from different disciplines, including family and business law attorneys, financial professionals, psychologists, social workers and other mental health professionals, coaches and mediators, child development and co-parenting specialists and anyone working with family or business clients in divorce or other conflicts. Continue reading “Attorney Karen J. Levitt Faculty at September 2019 MCLC Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Training”
Karen Levitt’s “Innovative and Strategic Use of Neutrals in Mediation” Workshop
Attorney Karen Levitt’s workshop on “Innovative and Strategic Use of Neutrals in Mediation” has been chosen by the Academy of Professional Mediators (APFM) to be one of its programs at APFM’s conference “The Next Generation of Innovation – Divorce Professionals Partnering for Excellence,” which will be held November 7-9, 2019 in Boston. Continue reading “Karen Levitt’s “Innovative and Strategic Use of Neutrals in Mediation” Workshop”
Attorney Karen J. Levitt presenter at MCLE program in June 2019
Attorney Karen J. Levitt is going to be a co-presenter with Attorneys Karen Van Kooy and Cynthia Runge at a Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education program scheduled for June 11, 2019, entitled “Representing Moderate Income Family Law Clients – Working Efficiently.”
The program, which is for attorneys, will help attorneys think about ways to efficiently represent clients on a limited budget, and how to advise clients on leveraging their options and still have good representation but in a cost-conscious manner. Continue reading “Attorney Karen J. Levitt presenter at MCLE program in June 2019”
Attorney Karen J. Levitt Co-Chairs USA500 Family Law Roundtable
Attorney Karen Levitt is co-chair of the USA500 Family Law Roundtable with Attorneys Karen Van Kooy, Cynthia Runge, and Susan DeMatteo. The USA500 Family Law Roundtable is part of the The USA 500 Clubs, which are exclusive regional communities for successful trusted advisers which meets for the purposes of developing relationships, sharing knowledge & resources, reputation enhancement, and creating business opportunities.
The Family Law Roundtable was created so that USA500 members could collaborate with highly skilled family law professionals of different disciplines within USA500, including financial and business professionals along with attorneys. The goal of the Roundtable is to educate the member professionals, with a focus on the further strengthening and deepening of our relationships and connections. Continue reading “Attorney Karen J. Levitt Co-Chairs USA500 Family Law Roundtable”
Attorney Karen J. Levitt a Fellow of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation
Did you know that Attorney Karen J. Levitt is a life fellow of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation? The MBF Society of Fellows is a membership organization of select Massachusetts attorneys and judges who are committed to giving back to the profession and supporting legal services for the poor in our state. Through generous contributions to the Foundation, life fellows help ensure that the MBF is a resource through which the legal community can come together and support initiatives that make access to justice a reality for those in need. For more information, go to http://www.massbarfoundation.org/.