Two meetings instead of a trial

What happened

A couple with two children at school had separated and could not agree on the house or the school week. Each had been told to prepare for a trial that was eight months away.

What I did

I proposed two meetings with both parents and both lawyers, at a kitchen table instead of across a courtroom. The first settled the children’s week. The second settled the house: one parent stays for two years, then it is sold and split.

How it ended

The agreement was filed as uncontested and approved by the Family Court without a hearing. The whole matter took four months and cost about a third of what a trial would have.