Our firm philosophy is simple: We are genuinely committed to helping our clients and their families make a positive transition through divorce and other family matters by focusing on problem-solving.

At Livesay Law, we are committed to:

Doing respectful and dignified work

Family conflicts often leave people feeling disrespected, and the legal process for resolving those conflicts can feel anything but dignified. Many people feel that if they communicate openly or reveal any weakness, the other party will use that against them, resulting in a process that can feel hostile and unsafe.

In contrast, the dispute resolution processes family lawyer Louise Livesay offers provide structures that support respectful behavior, full disclosure, and open communication and problem solving, while respecting the dignity of all participants.

Both Collaborative Practice and mediation are confidential and have ground rules that create a safe atmosphere. In turn, people can more openly communicate their needs and ideas, allowing all parties to drop their armor and work together on crafting solutions. Nobody wants to fear they are being taken advantage of by the other attorney or their spouse. The professionals you work with are committed to supporting the family in reaching the best outcome for everyone involved.

Supporting clients who are open to positive growth

When you resolve disputes through mediation or Collaborative Practice, you are not turning your conflicts over to a judge to decide; you're committing to the hard work of resolving them together with your former spouse. Through this hard work, you gain insights that help you become more informed, and a better communicator and co-parent. You are not alone in this work and growth. Built into the process is support from compassionate and skilled professionals who understand the issues you need to resolve, guide you through challenges, and help you identify options for the future.

Co-creating with you a solid foundation for your new life

Divorce is more a financial, relational, and emotional transition than it is a legal matter. Conventional, litigated resolutions to family disputes deal with the specific legal issues brought before the court. Collaborative Practice and mediation address not only your legal needs, but your financial, relational and emotional ones as well. The process of working together with the other party to create a solution that works for your family leads to longer lasting and more mutually acceptable settlements than those arrived at by going through a more adversarial route.

In the future, the likelihood of ending up in court after your current matter is resolved is less probable, if not eliminated, by reaching an out-of-court resolution. This is because you’ve addressed how to resolve issues in the future, have thought through longer-term issues, and have gained skills through the process that help you be effective co-parents. And the agreements are mutual decisions, not decisions forced on you by a judge.

If there are disagreements in the future, you've created a blueprint for how to resolve them respectfully without court involvement. Minimizing the emotional, financial, and relationship costs of divorce in this way helps create a safer, more solid foundation for the new life you are creating for you and your family.