Mediation is the way forward… In early 2011, the Government published its consultation paper ‘Solving disputes in the county courts: creating a simpler, quicker and more proportionate system’ with a view to introducing a major overhaul to the current civil justice system in England and Wales.  One of the ideals to this new reform was to envisage a system where “disputes are resolved in the most appropriate forum, with processes and costs being commensurate with the complexity of the issues involved.”  Therefore, in the paper the Government suggested one way of meeting this goal by creating a requirement for all cases below the small claims limit to be automatically referred to mediation, before being considered for a hearing.

Separation or Divorce? What Each Means for Your Finances - Setting aside any personal or family issues that come to mind for many when they think of divorce, ending a marriage has major financial implications. That’s why for some, a legal separation may seem like the better route to take.

How Do you Manage Your Small Business Brand Reputation Online? - Managing your online reputation is something we’ve talked about before (check out this article) and certainly a topic that has others, such as the New York Times, warning you to step up and take notice, because, as they stated in their article, “Your Customers are Talking About You. And the Whole World is Listening”. Hard-hitting, but true!

11 metro areas have more than 100,000 small businesses - Eleven U.S. markets contain more than 100,000 small businesses each — and an additional 14 metropolitan areas have between 50,000 and 100,000 apiece.

Divorce and Term Life Insurance: Avoid These Three Common Mistakes! - Most divorce agreements require that one divorced spouse, usually the one paying child support or alimony, maintain a certain amount of life insurance on themselves to protect the financial future of their ex should they die before their financial obligations terminate. But like many provisions, such as dividing retirement funds or selling the house, fulfilling the terms of the agreement happens after the divorce is already final. What if you discover that your ex can’t get life insurance because of his health or that the policy has lapsed? Since you can’t go back and renegotiate the property settlement, you could be out of luck.

Why Women are Financially Better Off After Divorce - For many, divorce signifies financial freedom. And, as a new study reveals, divorce can also signify great financial achievement.

The Big Business of Divorce - Every year in the United States, there are one million divorces. In many respects, that’s two million people beginning life anew.

Divorce Settlements With Foreign Assets; What Are The Risks? - Many couples going through marital separations (divorce) have interests in foreign assets. Often these are dual nationals who have interests in family businesses in their country of origin, but regardless of the source of the acquired assets or  immigration history of the parties,  there are several important issues to consider in fashioning marital settlement agreements using foreign assets.

Divorce rate among ages 50 plus on the rise - As the divorce rate stabilizes across the country, there’s one generation that is seeing a spike in separation. New research shows that those 50 and older are leaving their marriages in hopes of starting over.

How Do You Cope When Your Life is Falling Down Around You? - This isn’t a phenomenon that is exclusive to me. We all have the ability to change our lives into the lives that we had always dreamed of. The only thing standing in our way is self-awareness. Before you can start to make changes or improvements in your life, you need to know why you fell down or struggled in the past. Once you know why things went badly, and once you’ve figured out what you want to happen this time around, then you can start planning and take the first step towards making that dream happen.

Mediation helps some homeowners keep their palaces - Cuyahoga County is among the regions of the country seeing relative success with efforts to provide mediation to homeowners in danger of losing their homes, according to this story from Reuters.

Mediation helps home owners in US avert defaults - The US housing market is showing signs of stabilization six years after home prices peaked, but the foreclosure crisis could be only halfway through.

The Big Business of Divorce - Every year in the United States, there are one million divorces. In many respects, that’s two million people beginning life anew.

Divorce Settlements With Foreign Assets; What Are The Risks? - Many couples going through marital separations (divorce) have interests in foreign assets. Often these are dual nationals who have interests in family businesses in their country of origin, but regardless of the source of the acquired assets or  immigration history of the parties,  there are several important issues to consider in fashioning marital settlement agreements using foreign assets.