Statement

The following statement was provided by the mediator.

We all know that families are wonderful, complicated, and sometimes very difficult. In my practice as an attorney, mediator and arbitrator, I am always cognizant of the complexities and opportunities that families provide, and aware that each family has its own unique gifts and challenges. As a mediator, I encourage parents to identify the unique gifts and strengths they and their extended families bring to their children, and then help the parents develop a parenting plan that will maximize their children's opportunities to participate in the unique gifts and strengths of each parent and his or her extended family. Because I have been an attorney since 1987, a mediator since 1995 and an arbitrator since 2001, I have assisted hundreds of families with developing parenting plans and dealing with custody issues. It is important for parents to remember that although their family is changing form, they are still a family because of their children. The mediation process provides an opportunity for the parents to focus on how they can reshape the family in a way that will allow the parents and their children to thrive and prosper.