About The Practice

Reaching agreement around sensitive issues of conflict requires a skilled listener, a creative problem solver, and a caring and individual approach. Because no two individuals or families are exactly alike, helping people settle their differences requires a sensitive, thoughtful, individual approach to working through areas of disagreement and conflict. 

As a mediator and collaborative lawyer, Fran Whyman works with couples, individuals and family members to help them reach agreement around some of the most difficult issues they will ever face. For an individual or couple facing divorce, sensitive and difficult questions are tackled concerning what the custody arrangement and the parenting plan will look like, what child and spousal support will be provided, how the marital property and other assets will be divided, how health insurance will be covered, and how current and future expenses, such as summer camp and college tuition will be provided for. For a couple experiencing marital differences but hoping to stay together, marital mediation can be helpful by creating a blueprint for staying together. Mediation can be used to help family members in conflict over a family business reach a fair and reasonable agreement while preserving important family relationships for the future. Siblings in disagreement over family matters can use mediation to help settle their different points of view while minimizing conflict and fashioning an agreement that will improve their future as a family. Whatever the specific issues, Fran Whyman works with individuals, couples, and family members to help them reach a fair and reasonable agreement through the use of either mediation or the collaborative law approach. 

Mediation and Collaborative Law empower parties to a dispute to play an active role in the agreement process. This is accomplished by creating an environment that focuses on active problem solving, rather than positioning and conflict escalation. Negotiations are needs and interest based. Each party is assisted in identifying his or her needs and interests, the needs and interests of the other party, and potential options to meet those needs and interests. Some of these options become the basis for a fair and reasonable agreement.