Mediation
Marcia has served as a professional mediator in divorces and other legal conflicts since 1994. As a mediator, she facilitates a fair agreement between parties in conflict. The goal of every mediation is a win-win solution for all involved. No retainer is required for her mediation services.
Collaborative Practice
Practicing collaborative law to resolve conflicts since 2002, Marcia was the first lawyer in Central Massachusetts to adopt this revolutionary, non-adversarial approach. In collaborative practice, each party has separate legal counsel working together as a team to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
Litigation
Marcia has litigated on behalf of clients for more than two decades in both Massachusetts and Connecticut courts. She has extensive litigation experience with divorce, child custody, cases involving domestic violence, and other family law matters.
Areas of Practice
Marital Disputes: Divorce, Custody, Child Support, Alimony
When your marriage deteriorates, intense emotional conflicts exhaust your heart, mind, and wallet. How you resolve the conflict—both legally and personally—has a long-term effect on you and your entire family, especially when children are involved. Although litigation is sometimes necessary, it often exacerbates the conflict. Mediation and collaborative practice are non-adversarial ways to resolve conflicts that arise in a divorce, including disputes over child custody, child support, and alimony.
Paternity
Paternity cases involve disputes about child support and parenting time. Collaborative practice provides both legal advocacy and a team effort to resolve these conflicts.
Stepparent Adoption
When a stepparent wants to adopt a spouse’s child from a previous relationship, complex issues can arise, such as gaining consent from the other biological parent. A non-adversarial forum lends itself to the resolution of these issues.
Pre-nuptial Agreements
Having a pre-nuptial agreement is a responsible way to ensure that you and your soon-to-be spouse have discussed your finances in a comprehensive manner that includes full disclosure of all assets, debts, and financial expectations. Your marriage will be stronger if you have done this work before your wedding.
Marital Mediation
Unlike the therapeutic process—which emphasizes relationship history and the psychological development of each individual—marital mediation addresses presenting concerns and issues, and uses conflict resolution skills to help you create an effective plan and new rules for a marriage that works.
Post-nuptial Agreements
Post-nuptial agreements can help couples who are experiencing marital difficulties to redefine financial obligations to each other, either to remain in their marriage or in anticipation of a future separation. Mediation is an excellent, effective means to work together to create both pre- and post-nuptial agreements.
Jewish Religious Divorce
Marcia is well-versed in the issues relating to Jewish religious divorce. She can offer resources and guidance for couples seeking a divorce according to Jewish religious practice and halakhah (Jewish law).
Will Contests
The loss of a loved one is always painful. The pain is all the greater if a will disinherits a family member or someone inherits less than expected. Although settlement of a will contest does not mean that all parties will feel they’ve been treated equally, the opportunity to address a perceived injustice can help you to gain a sense of closure.
Elder Mediation
When an older family member is in transition, needing enhanced care at home, moving from the family home into assisted living, or moving to a nursing home, mediation can help all involved to define which family member is responsible for what, in terms of time and money, and can clarify the decision-making process as the elder’s needs increase. Bringing Mom and Dad into this discussion empowers them and reassures other family members that the voices of all involved will be heard.
Other Intra-familial Conflicts
Conflicts between parents and grandparents often occur when opinions clash over how to raise children. Generational conflicts sometimes arise when parents are divorcing or redefining relationships with their families of origin. Mediation can help clarify the issues and devise a solution that works for all parties. Most importantly, mediation can bring everyone to the table for these difficult discussions.
Workplace Mediation
When workplace relationships are mired in conflict, everyone in the business suffers, as does your bottom line. The same principles that inform divorce and family conflict resolution also apply in workplace conflicts, whether between a supervisor and staff member or between colleagues who share tasks. Mediation is an effective way to resolve these conflicts in order to promote maximum efficiency and productivity.
Mediation Training
Marcia has been very successful in mentoring mediators who are new to the field. She also has many years of experience training professional mediators.