Overview:
Divorce disputes extend far beyond dividing assets and debts. While financial matters often rely on software and spreadsheets, parenting plans require a different skill set altogether. They are not just legal documents; they are living frameworks that shape how families interact for years-often decades-after the divorce is finalized.
This course is designed to help lawyers approach parenting plan disputes with a broader perspective. Too often, attorneys become focused solely on the short-term task of reaching an agreement, while clients are left unprepared for the long-term realities of co-parenting with an ex-spouse. For clients, the parenting plan is not a temporary legal hurdle; it is a daily structure that defines how they manage decision-making, communication, and conflict with their co-parent well into the future.
A Client-Centered Approach
My goal is to equip lawyers with tools that go beyond simply securing an order from the court. By focusing on "process and controllable," attorneys can better prepare clients to anticipate conflict, manage toxic dynamics, and remain resilient in the face of difficult behavior. Clients may not be able to control their ex-spouse, but they can control their own responses.
Drawing on negotiation principles and timeless wisdom-such as Ben Franklin’s reminder to appeal to interests rather than positions-this course emphasizes the value of shifting disputes away from entrenched arguments and toward solutions grounded in underlying needs and motivations. Lawyers will learn how to uncover interests, navigate impasse, and design strategies that help clients not just survive, but thrive, in the face of ongoing conflict.
What You Will Learn
Why This Course Matters
Parenting plan disputes are not one-time events. While a lawyer’s role may end when the case wraps up, the client’s challenges often continue for years. This course provides a framework to extend the value of your representation beyond the courtroom, giving your clients the ability to handle future disputes with confidence and clarity.
Moreover, the lessons here are not confined to family law. Negotiation, conflict management, and interest-based resolution are skills lawyers use in every aspect of their professional and personal lives. By the end of this course, you will not only be better equipped to serve your clients, but you will also sharpen your own ability to manage disputes of all kinds.
Course Objective:
The parenting plan will impact the family for decades. As lawyers we might represent our client for three months on parenting plan dispute. But the impact to our client will last for years. Our objective should be to “coach up” the client on effective interest-based negotiation and communication skills to keep the peace and avoid future expensive, stressful, toxic litigation.
Target Audience: Both new and experienced family law attorneys and staff will benefit from this program. Client management, communication, and collaborative dispute resolution require self reflection and skill development at all stages of a lawyer’s career. These concepts apply not only to divorce situations but are universal for general dispute resolution in our professional and personal lives.
Target Audience:
Both new and experienced family law attorneys and staff will benefit from this program. Client management, communication, and collaborative dispute resolution require self reflection and skill development at all stages of a lawyer’s career. These concepts apply not only to divorce situations but are universal for general dispute resolution in our professional and personal lives.
Basic Knowledge:
Attendees should have a basic understanding of parenting plan components (decision making; residential schedule, and dispute resolution options).