Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation To Host Annual Mediation Conference

Chelmsford, MA—The Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, Inc., will hold its sixth annual Family Mediation Institute on Friday, October 19. This continuing education event for mediators and related professionals will take place at the Wellesley Community Center in Wellesley Hills.

The Honorable Arline Rotman, retired associate justice of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court, will deliver the keynote address. She will speak on “Structuring Shared Parenting Plans: The Devil Is in the Details.”

Rotman is a past president of the Association of Family Courts (AFCC) and a founding member and first president of the Massachusetts AFCC chapter. She chaired an interdisciplinary committee that drafted “Planning for Shared Parenting: A Guide for Parents Living Apart,” which is in wide distribution throughout the country.

She recently co-authored a casebook for the National Institute of Trial Lawyers (NITA) entitled “Modern Divorce Advocacy” that focuses on advocacy in divorce disputes in a multidisciplinary environment. Since her retirement, she has provided dispute resolution services, including parenting coordination, in all family law matters.

In addition to Rotman, conference participants will hear from eight other recognized mediation experts during the all-day event. Members of the 2007 Family Mediation Institute faculty and their topics are

—Cathy Heenan, Ed.D., and Daniel J. Finn, Esq., “The Quicksand of Conflict: Impasse”

—Roberta F. Benjamin, Esq., “Alimony in Context”

—Jonathan E. Fields, Esq., and Sheryl J. Dennis, Esq., “Prenuptial Agreements: Prohibited Subjects, Enforceability and Mediation”

—Vicki L. Shemin, Esq., LICSW, ACSW, “Parenting Coordinators: The Final Frontier”

—Larry Dannenberg, “Helping Clients in Divorce With Their Children’s College Search and Financial Aid Processes”

—Fern L. Frolin, Esq., “Hot Topics in Family Law”

The Institute is an annual conference organized by MCFM volunteers Laurie S. Udell, immediate past president of MCFM, and MCFM directors Lynn Cooper, Mary Johnston and Les Wallerstein.

Udell is pleased with this year’s program and encourages all mediators and allied professionals to attend. “Family law attorneys or therapists who work with divorcing couples will surely pick up some pointers to help in their practices—all in a congenial atmosphere,” she said.

MCFM President Lynda Robbins shares Udell’s enthusiasm for the upcoming event. "Most of the time, mediators and their clients operate in a vacuum,” she noted. “The Institute is an opportunity to learn from our colleagues, to network, and to develop new skills. It is a great educational experience that is also invigorating and fun."

Cost is $165 for MCFM members and $200 for nonmembers. Lunch and course materials are included. Nonmembers may join MCFM at the time of registration and receive the member rate.

Registration forms may be downloaded from the MCFM Web site (http://www.mcfm.org). For more information, contact MCFM at masscouncil@mcfm.org or 781-449-4430.

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About the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, Inc.:

MCFM is a nonprofit organization established more than 25 years ago by family mediators interested in sharing knowledge and setting guidelines for family mediation. MCFM is the oldest professional organization in Massachusetts dedicated to family mediation.

MCFM serves the public and its members by

— Providing information about divorce and family mediation
— Maintaining a mediator referral directory
— Publishing the “Family Mediation Quarterly”
— Providing continuing education to divorce mediators and other professionals
— Setting standards to guide the professional practice of mediation
— Offering a certification program for qualified members

MCFM’s Web address is http://www.mcfm.org. The council can be reached by phone at 781-449-4430 or by e-mail at masscouncil@mcfm.org.