In The News

  Laura Days received her National Synchronized Skating Judge Appointment from United States Figure Skating in November, 2011.  Laura spends some of her “off” time traveling around the country to judge at synchronized skating competitions. 

Laura Days is the President of the Rotary Club of Brookline for the 2011-2012 year.

Laurie Israel has been accepted by Huffington Post  as an official blogger in the areas of divorce and relationships.  Her article “Don’t Let Your Attorney Hijack Your Divorce”  was published on Huffington Post on November 30, 2010.  So far, thirteen of Laurie’s articles have been posted on Huffingon Post.  Search its website www.huffingtonpost.com and Laurie’s name, and the articles can be easily found.  One of her articles, “Divorce Tourism — American Style” is about bringing your marital counselor or marital mediator on your vacation to do some intensive work on your marriage.  Laurie writes about marriage, divorce, relationships, and other topics in the Huffington Post.  

 Karen Van Kooy is now on the board of The Divorce Center, an educational organization the seeks to prepare and inform divorcing couples about the process of divorce.

 Laurie Israel presented as part of an Massachusetts Continuing Education Panel on October 24, 2011 on “Who Is on Your Team?” Coaches, counselors, Meidators and Lawyers Define the Boundaries of Professional Practice”, with David Hoffman (moderator), Gail Packer and Richard Wolman. 

Laura Days was featured in the “Hearsay”  (Lawers in the news) section of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly on December 29, 2010.  The article featured Laura’s interest and expertise in ice-skating, her work as a skating judge, and its relevance to the detailed work Laura does as a transactional attorney in the firm. 

Laurie Israel  gave three a one-day trainings in Marital Mediaton (Mediation to Stay Married) during the spring of 2011 in Brookline, Brooklyn, New York, and in Helena, Montana.  The Montana training was sponsored by the Montana Mediation Association (MtMA).

Laurie Israel presented in a panel of family law experts for a Continuing Education Program on January 28, 2010, from 1 – 5 p.m.  hosted by Lawyers Weekly.   She joined a panel which includes attorneys Alan Gesmer, Joyce Kauffman, Marsha Kararosian, and Robyn Honig.   Laurie’s topics will include effect of the new Massachusetts Probate Code on marriages and divorces, bankruptcy discharge exception under 11 USC 523(a)(15) for debts incurred in connection with divorce, update on prenuptial agreements, update on recent cases, including effect of retention of S corpration earnings on support obligations.

Laurie Israel and John Fiske, both pioneers in the emerging marital mediation field, presented the first two-day training on marital mediation to be held on March 5 and 6, 2010, at Wellesley College Club, Wellesley, Massachusetts.  Visit John or Laurie’s websites for more information and registration.

Laurie Israel was quoted in the Boston Globe on March 18, 2009, along with Steven Ballard, in an article by Meredith Goldstein about “Do it Yourselves Divorce”.  Laurie expressed the view that most divorces do not lend themselves to DIY, because of the fairness issues that are often overlooked when people do not know what “the law” provides.  Often one party or another gives up “too much” and regrets it later.   In her own practice, when faced with clients who think theycan do it themselves, she asks “would you take out your own appendix”?   In the article, Laurie was quoted as saying “You don’t know what’s fair until you’re a divorce lawyer”.  What was left out of the quote was the 3 words that followed it “…or a judge”.

Laurie Israel was quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly article “Demand for ADR, mediation up, family law bar reports” (August 24, 2009),    See pdf of article, which noted that family-law attorneys who specialize in mediation and “collaborative practice” say they are seeing a marked increase in demand for their services, a phenomenon they suspect is fueled by the faltering
economy.  Laurie Israel reports that her firm is ”intensely busy”.  The Brookline collaborative-law and mediation practitioner said that regardless of what the economy is doing, “people still need to get divorces.” What has changed, Laurie Israel said, is that these people are seeking more cost-effective ways to undergo the process, with less conflict involved.