One Eliot Place
Fairfield, CT 06824
Phone: (203) 254-1190
Fax: (203) 255-0674
I am a skilled divorce lawyer with knowledge and understanding of the family laws of this state. I am an experienced negotiator and family trial lawyer. Additionally, I am an experienced divorce mediator, who is committed to mediation as an alternative method for couples seeking to dissolve their marriage. I am a member of the Family Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, and the Connecticut Council for Divorce Mediation. I am trained and certified to represent children in child custody matters.
As a lawyer I am a skilled negotiator and my first approach is to negotiate a fair settlement for my client. I attempt to settle issues between my client and his/her spouse in a civil and fair fashion. However, if negotiations fail, I will go to trial and vigorously advocate my client's interests in court.
I am a strong proponent of Divorce Mediation as a means to resolve the issues and conflicts involved in a marriage break-up. Divorce mediation is an alternative method by which a husband and wife together, and with the help of a trained neutral mediator, can endeavor to resolve the issues of the marriage break-up in a controlled and structured environment.
As a divorce mediator, I serve the couple as a neutral facilitator to enable the couple to fully and satisfactorily resolve their issues themselves. Resolving divorce issues without lawyers is a quicker process and saves money.
In divorce mediation the husband and wife communicate and negotiate directly with one another to resolve the issues arising out of their break-up. As a divorce mediator I help define the issues, and guide and set the agenda for the discussion. The goal is for the couple to settle their differences outside the courtroom without the need for direct lawyer involvement.
Until such time as the couple signs a formal agreement, no legal binding commitments are made. Hence, either party can withdraw from mediation without fear that they have harmed their position in the divorce process. There is no risk for trying mediation, and there are significant benefits that come with success!
With the help of the divorce mediator the issues and solutions are framed and determined by the parties, and not by the lawyers or the court system. The parties retain control over the content and pace of the process. Emphasis is on the future needs and interests of the individual parties and their children. The parties determine the outcome; it is not imposed upon them.
Divorce mediation can produce more creative, individualized, and workable solutions. Experience has proven that parties have more respect for agreements they themselves reach through divorce mediation, than outcomes which are the product of the traditional litigation process. Hence, going forward, parties who mediate their divorce are more likely to respect and abide by their divorce agreement.
Finally, when a couple ends their marriage in mediation, each party leaves the marriage in better health emotionally than they would have done otherwise. This is due to their direct participation in the process and the outcome. Although the process is about breaking up, mediation helps with the healing process and transition into the future.
When children are concerned, divorcing is more than dissolving a marriage, dividing property, determining support payments and deciding custody. It is also about preserving and ensuring the parent child relationship. Measures need to be taken to prevent the marriage break-up from damaging the parent child relationship. Although the parents are no longer together, they remain part of their children's family. It is important for the parents and their children to remain involved with one another. Preservation of the parent child relationship cannot be overlooked and needs to be emphasized in the divorce process.