MY PHILOSOPHY AS A FAMILY LAWYER, DIVORCE LAWYER, COLLABORATIVE LAWYER, MEDIATOR, AND COUNSELOR:

As a family lawyer I must wear several hats. The first, and foremost, is my role as your attorney; to protect your interests and legal rights and to help you understand the options available to you and consequences of choosing a particular option. The second is my role as your counselor; To guide you through the goal of resolution and assist in your decision making process.

As a collaborative lawyer, I have a third role. That role is to work with your spouses’ attorney to implement an agreement which meets, as much as possible, both parties individual needs, addresses each party’s fears and concerns, and results in an agreement that each feels comfortable in accepting and following. This is particularly important when there are children involved as both parties will have a continuing role in that child’s life no matter what the age of the child.

As a family law mediator, I have a fourth role. As a mediator my goal is to assist both parties to resolve family law issues. To that end, my role is to reach an agreement that is acceptable to all parties in an atmosphere that is not adversarial.

In all roles, I recognize that it is important to minimize, as much as possible, the emotional and financial costs of a divorce, or other family dispute, such as child custody and time-sharing.

Finally, I believe it is important that you, as the client, feel comfortable in communicating with me. You will be informed of everything that is occurring with your case, receive copies of all correspondence, and have your phone calls returned promptly.

You have put your trust in my firm to assist you and I am committed to doing my best to earn that trust. Please review my attorney profile to learn more about my qualifications.

MY BACKGROUND

Arlene Richman graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1986, Magna Cum Laude. She was a member of the University of Miami Law Review and during her last year of law school she had the honor of serving as an Articles and Comments Editor of the University of Miami Law Review. Ms. Richman also had the privilege of serving as law student assistant to the Honorable Federal Court Judge Eugene P. Spellman.

In addition to her Bachelors of Arts degree, from Hunter College in New York City, Arlene Richman also has a Masters of Public Administration from New York University.

While practicing family law since 1988 and litigating family law cases in court, Ms. Richman realized that for many families going through a divorce or other family dispute there should be, and were, other options. Although Ms. Richman continues to litigate family law cases, she found that one option other than litigation was mediation and became certified as a Family Law Mediator. Ms. Richman provides mediation services to private individuals, as well as individuals represented by an attorney, and has been appointed by the court to act as a mediator to resolve cases before that judge.

Several years ago Arlene Richman discovered another alternative to litigation, Collaborative Law, Collaborative Law fosters settlement in a non-adversarial manner and with each participant represented by an attorney who is both an advocate and negotiator. Ms. Richman is currently president of Collaborative Law, Inc. and associated with and contributor to the Collaborative Lawyers of South East Florida.

Awards, Honors and Accomplishments

1. Woodrow Wilson Scholar Award in Political Science.
2. Magna Cum Laude Graduate of University of Miami School of Law.
3. Member of Order of the Coif, the National Legal Honor Society.
4. Articles and Comments Editor of the University of Miami School of Law.
5. Member of the Society of Wig and Robe, the honorary society of the University Miami School of law for scholarship and service.
6. Awards in Torts and Civil Procedure from the University of Miami School of Law.
7. Founding member of the Collaborative Lawyers of South Florida. Inc.
8. President of Collaborative Law, Inc.

AREAS OF PRACTICE