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It is usually best to appoint only one person to be your Executor, POA or Health Care Representative since appointing two or more people can lead to conflict. However, if two or more people are appointed, then it is wise to include in your documents a "Conflict Resolution Clause" that sets out a process for resolving conflict that is designed to arrive at an amicable resolution (win/win outcome) rather than going to court (win/lose outcome).

Guardianship mediation is a very good option for family in conflict over how best to care for an elderly parent or family member.

Mediation is a "pay as you go" process, with out the need for costly retainers and hidden expenses. The cost of mediation sessions is also generally shared by the parties which means the process is far less expensive than litigation where the parties are represented by attorneys.

Mediation is a more efficient and less expensive way to resolve conflict than traditional litigation. What can take 6 months to a year in court can be accomplished in a few hours in mediation. Mediation is also confidential and typically results in resolutions that are fair and equitable to all parties which is the ultimate objective of mediation.

A divorce is devastating for the entire family. However, the way a divorce is handled can lessen the emotional trauma and keep the cost to a minimum. If divorcing parties want what is best for their children, they will make a good faith effort to resolve their differences amicably, engaging the mediation process if they need help negotiating a settlement. While people can get divorced from each other as spouses, they cannot divorce each other as the parents to their children.

At first glance, mediation and arbitration look the same, but they differ in many respects. Mediation is a voluntary process that is intended to facilitate a settlement between the parties, whereas arbitration is more of an informal adjudicatory process whereby the arbitrator decides who wins and who loses.

Mediation and litigation are not mutually exclusive approaches to resolving conflict, but in mediation, a satisfactory result can be achieved much sooner, for a lot less money and with a lot less stress and emotional angst.

When sibling rivalry can come back and hurt us in terms of how we are cared for in the future. That's why it is important to select which child you want in charge of managing your affairs and making medical decisions for you when and if you are unable to do so on your own.

You could see the anguish in his eyes.  I just met this fellow (not a client) but it was apparent he was struggling to keep it together.  “What's wrong my friend” I asked?  “Oh, it's a personal thing I am dealing with,” he replied.  “I need to see my attorney this afternoon and sign some papers. ...