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Deciphering Divorce Terminology: Shared Parenting Zoom Talk with Attorney Darcy McCallister

Shared Parenting Council of Connecticut presents a talk with attorney Darcy McCallister. In this video, Ms. McCallister discusses getting divorced in Connecticut and the different processes that people can take to get divorced. She indicates that the default legal action in Connecticut is litigation with attorneys being legal zealots for their clients, disregarding the other side of the family unit.

She indicates why family law is not well situated for a legal contest. She indicates that even the divorced family is ongoing and dynamic, making it very difficult to have static resolution at the time of divorce.

Darcy uses a diagram to illustrate models of traditional litigation, mediation, and collaborative divorce. She indicates that sometimes judges even make mistakes and have unilateral power. McCallister says that with mediation and the collaborative process, people are more committed and invested—resulting in fewer post-judgement issues.

Attorney McCallister reveals that most parties going through a divorce experience mistrust and have reasons to feel alienated from their spouse. However, she recommends that the feeling of alienation should not be amplified during the divorce process. She recommends harnessing managing the friction between the two parties for the smoother process.

The Question and Answer segment discusses: family services, which issue is discussed first (custody, alimony, finances etc.), developing a parenting plan, child custody evaluations, and DCF cases.

If you are interested in equal time shared parenting, please see: www.sharedparentinginc.org

Introduction and Disclaimer by: John Clapp, Chairman
Host & Moderator: Colleen O’Neil, MSW, M.Ed. https://mediationandbeyond.com
Presentation: Attorney Darcy McCallister. Darcy@CMM-Law.com, 203-202-3120.

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