In May we covered the story titled “Kernville man dies after stabbing in child-custody dispute” which discussed a “fight [that] broke out at a home on the 200 block of Bodfish Canyon Road in Bodfish. Crystal Lee Parker, 29, lives at the home and had armed herself with a large knife after people arrived because of the child-custody dispute, according to the sheriff’s office.” The victim in this case was a man that died after the stabbing had occurred within the child-custody dispute.

Just yesterday another case of family court violence broke out on the campus of UCI in California and was covered by The OC Register and also covered by the updated article written by Lary Holland: Family Court is Deadly Business. In the report a UC Irvine graduate student is accused of shooting his ex-wife to death outside on-campus housing Sunday night during a custody exchange of the couple’s 4-year-old son, police announced this morning. The title of the article in the OC Register was UCI slaying suspect had been ordered to double child support which was determined better for the child than the father being able to finish his PhD in particle physics.

The adversarial process seems to be the most prevalent method of divorce, despite many peaceful or “less-adversarial” processes that are available, but not widely understood. For good reason, lawyers certainly make more money on the adversarial process and that seems to be what divorce is all about nowadays, who has the best lawyer.

The Wall Street Journal had a reasonable and well-thought opinion piece on the issue of divorce titled Separate Peace by Stephanie Coontz. In the article she went over the various avenues and costs for different divorce methods that are currently available. The most interesting aspect of the article is that an adversarial divorce is the worst or most expensive avenue to seek a divorce, but the one most pursued.

Hugh McIsaac, a retired director of Family Court Services in Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., advises divorce attorneys to represent their clients’ long-term interests, not their short-term anger. The average cost of a mediated divorce is less than $7,000 and of a collaborative divorce less than $20,000. This compares with nearly $27,000 for a divorce negotiated by rival lawyers and about $78,000 for a fully litigated divorce.

Just looking at the numbers, you can tell which process would drive a person to family court related violence, because many people are pushed to the hilt with debt and stress of the adversarial process.

If we can learn anything from the information shared today, it is that serious considerations need to be reviewed for possible reforms to limit the number of adversarial proceedings in the family court, divorce, and child custody type proceedings. If nothing else it will save parents, save children, and provide a safer outcome of all involved.

Mike Mastracci, Esq. and Lary Holland bring a FREE six-week educational seminar to the public, mediators, psychologists, lawyers, and judges on “The Collaborative Law Practice.“

We would like YOUR help in raising awareness that an adversarial court system is not healthy for our future generation. Will you HELP? Do you have Suggestions? Tell your local judges, mediators, mental health professionals, and parents that there is an alternative that is good for parents, children, and the community.

Baltimore, MD. Attorney Mike Mastracci has said it thousands of times, “Stop Fighting Over the Kids: Resolving Day-to-Day Custody Conflict in Divorce Situations” and it is sound advice that has many attorneys scratching their heads at the simplicity of it all. With the help of Lary Holland, Host and Producer of Get Your Justice Live™, Mike Mastracci is able to deliver a message that just might save thousands of kids, judges, and professionals from being forced into the middle of heated courtroom proceedings between separating parents that have children. Advocating the use of a technique known as the “Collaborative Law Practice” and in connection with Get Your Justice Live™, Attorney and Author Mike Mastracci has assembled a 6-week course for mediators, psychologists, lawyers, judges, and parents to come together and examine peaceful alternatives to the adversarial court room duals that often occur during child custody proceedings.

In an effort to save children from the perils of high-conflict divorce and adversarial child-custody proceedings, this six-week online forum will be provided free of charge. To sign up, simply visit http://www.getyourjusticelive.com/saveourkids by 8:00PM on April 28, 2009 and you will receive your personalized log on information for the seminar. Interested individuals and organizations will be able to participate through the computer or the telephone every Tuesday night at 8PM EST beginning on April 28, 2009 and each of the six programs will be archived and accessible free of charge.

Mike Mastracci was admitted to the Maryland State Bar in 1989 after graduating with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore. Mike also released a resourceful book called STOP Fighting Over the Kids: Resolving Day-to-Day Custody Conflict in Divorce Situations in March 2009, available through Amazon.Com. Mike is also the creator of the popular blog Divorce Without Dishonor ® at http://www.divorcewithoutdishonor.com that includes useful articles, links and resources related to divorce and child access issues.

Lary Holland is Host and Producer of the online and interactive talk show Get Your Justice Live, which focuses on reforming the judiciary and making sure that government, is more accountable. For more information about the show, you can visit the official show website at http://www.getyourjusticelive.com/

Lawyer Note:

This is not a solicitation for clients or to provide legal services.

Our First Week SAVE OUR KIDS SEMINAR:

We will be providing overviews of how the Collaborative Law Practice works, its positive effects on children and families, and information about the growing Collaborative Law groups. Lary Holland and Mike Mastracci, Esq. will be joined by nationally known Ron Ousky, Esq.

Call In on Tuesdays beginning April 28, 2009 from Any Cell Phone or Landline: 724-444-7444 Enter Talk Cast Id: 39517 Use Pin 1+#

About Ron Ousky, Esq.

“Ron Ousky, Collaborative Attorney,Mediator, and Author, is one of the pioneers in Collaborative Practice and has served as President of the first Collaborative Law group in the world. He is also an international leader in the Collaborative Law movement, serving as a board member of the International Association of Collaborative Professionals and as co-chair of the International Public Education Committee. Ron is the founder of DivorceChoice.com and Family Matters, Ltd. and is a trainer, lecturer and author in the area of Collaborative Practice. Ron has been recognized as a Super Lawyer by Minneapolis Magazine and has been selected as one of Minnesota’s top 40 professionals in the areas of alternate dispute resolution.”