Remote Conflict Resolution During COVID-19 Crisis

Much of the success of Collaborative Law and Mediation as options to resolve family disputes lies in the face-to-face contact and interpersonal communication at the core of these ADR (“alternative dispute resolution”) processes.

As courthouses close and conflict resolution specialists are compelled to work from home amidst this awful international health care crisis, spouses are NOT left without possible avenues to productively and expeditiously settle their domestic relations struggles.

More and more, collaboratively-trained lawyers, mental health counselors, and financial advisors are becoming adept at real-time video conferencing to assist families facing financial, emotional, and relationship hardships.

Zoom, Skype, Teams, and Go To Meeting, just to name a few, are all outstanding platforms as temporary substitutes to in-person appointments. These internet resources are working well for initial client contacts, ongoing Collaborative Practice cases, and meditations being started anew or those already in progress before all the human contact limitations were imposed worldwide.

No doubt, the travel restrictions in effect and the governmental homebound mandates for our public welfare will continue to be difficult financially and emotionally for virtually all families in every community. This cannot be an easy time for couples and children who are transitioning to separation or divorce. Family law practitioners are united in the sincere hope that calm, sensible, and respectful minds and actions will prevail for the safety and sanity of each other—and for our children, dependents, and anyone else residing under a common roof during this inescapable medical tragedy and trauma. Let’s put our technology to work so our confined living arrangements don’t eliminate the access to needed advice and guidance about family disputes in this time of COVID-19.

Contact your family law professionals by phone or email to explore solutions to the mandates of social distancing. We know that almost all areas of family conflict can certainly be addressed in a modified fashion until “life as we knew it” returns in the not so distant future.

Stay safe and be well.