A Conversation with Brette Sember: How to Avoid Returning to Court & Other Family Law Kernels of Wisdom
Brette Sember has represented adults, children and adolescents in family law court. She offers a unique perspective on advocating for client needs, empowering them, and supporting their journey from one stage of life to another. From Clarence, N.Y., Brette practiced family law and mediation until her second child was born. She then retired from law and… more
Process: Waiting in Court
So many times, I’ve gone to court on a motion, and I spend a lot of time sitting and waiting. We all do. Clients sit and wait for lawyers to negotiate. Lawyers sit and wait for referee or family counselors to make decisions. Judges wait for referees to make recommendations that judges can rule on…. more
It’s Never Too Late
I met with a client recently who wished he had called me sooner. He hired me for limited scope representation, a new offering in Michigan legal circles. He just didn’t have the right chemistry with the first attorney he worked with. In fact, he felt his attorney didn’t explain things well to him. And even… more
A Jewish Family Law Attorney Reflects on the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting
Have you ever said something, thinking you were clear and focused, only to have the other person in your conversation blow up in response? What did I say, you wonder? Why are they reacting that way? I thought I was simply conveying information. In the world of Collaborative Family Law, we call ourselves peacemakers. We… more
Travels
It’s important to step out of our routine, get away from familiar surroundings to gain a new perspective. This happens for me when I travel, but you don’t have to leave town to gain this important insight. It can be as easy as taking your spouse to the mall and offering to buy some sexy… more
Managing Time
Time management is the bane of my existence. Truly. One of the hardest things is making time to evaluate success and failure, catch up on to-dos, clock in everything you need to do. I struggle with this. Do you? When you feel like you’re always behind the eight ball, there’s always something to do, always… more
Back-To-School: Taking Stock
As kids return to school this fall, it may be a good time to evaluate how your parenting time schedule and structure is working. How’s the co-parenting relationship weathering this seasonal and scheduling change? While a Judgment of Divorce or Parenting Time Order renders a certain schedule or structure to co-parenting, both parents are the… more
Parenting Time for Adult Children
You never stop being a parent. Even when your children graduate high school, go to college, and become adults in their own right, you still want to see them, hug them, spend time together. What if they don’t want to spend time with you? Or, what if the time they want to spend with you… more
The Life After Divorce Fantasy
If I leave him, I’ll find real love. New love. A love that lasts. If I end my marriage to her, I’ll have more money and more time to myself. Divorcing my spouse means I can finally focus on myself-the kids-my work-my golf game. These and many other variations are fantasies I’ve heard from divorce… more
True Marriage Equality
When same-sex marriage became legal, partners finally achieved the right to marry under the law. With this advancement in marriage in our country comes the right to dissolve marriages, too, and all the ugliness that can accompany it. According to this article, a Tucson mom tried to deny parenting time to her former partner, insisting… more