Biography

Fran Whyman is an attorney, a mediator, and a collaborative lawyer in Natick. Fran Whyman is the current President of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation (MCFM). She is committed to using alternative dispute resolution methods to facilitate respectful and dignified agreement and to preserve family relationships.  

Education
Fran Whyman is a magna cum laude graduate of the New England School of Law, where she was Senior Editor of the Law Review and recipient of the Reeves award for academic excellence. She received a B.A. degree in English from New York University after spending her fourth year of undergraduate study at Harvard University, and a Master's degree in English from Simmons College. She published the article, “Laissez Faire in the Medical Marketplace – Recognition of a Constitutional Right to Unconventional Medical Treatment: Andrews vs. Ballard,” 18 New England Law Review 149 (1982-83).  

Mediation and Collaborative Training
Fran Whyman has been certified as a mediator by the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation. In her law and mediation practice, Fran Whyman uses Mediation and Collaborative Law to help individuals and family members minimize the friction that often accompanies separation, divorce, custody and parenting planning, premarital agreements, the challenges of managing a family business, and other family conflict. She received her Mediation training at Harvard Law School in the Program on Negotiation for Lawyers. She received advanced training in divorce mediation, marital mediation, and Elder Mediation. She trained in collaborative law with the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council.  

Family Law
As a Staff Attorney at the Cambridgeport Problem Center, (currently CLSACC) she worked with other attorneys and psychotherapists in a multi-disciplinary approach to resolving family issues, including separation and divorce, child support and spousal maintenance, custody and visitation, parenting planning, abuse prevention, and adoption. Her work there convinced her that the traditional adversarial approach to settling family issues escalates and prolongs family conflict. She realized there had to be a way to help family members reach agreement without doing further damage to those relationships. This experience helped to mold her current private practice.

Teaching
Fran Whyman taught as a Guberman Fellow in the Legal Studies department at Brandeis University. She led training sessions for school administrators on the prevention of sexual harassment in the school environment. Prior to her work in the law she taught English.


Professional Membership
Fran Whyman is admitted to practice Law in Massachusetts. She is member of the following professional organizations:

• President, Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation (MCFM)
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP)
• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC)
• Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council (MCLC)
• Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA)
• Mediation panel, Cambridge Dispute Settlement Center (CDSC)