Laura does Maryland Family Law Collaborative Law Advocacy, Mediation, Legal Advising, Settlement Negotiation, and Agreement Drafting.

Click HERE for information about scheduling an Initial Consult with Certified Collaborative Custody and Divorce Attorney and Mediator Laura Matney

The Collaborative Law Dispute Resolution process involves meeting with both parties and their attorneys.   The whole Collaborative Law Dispute Resolution process, or the whole Mediation process, can be easily and conveniently done via Zoom and meetings by Phone or Zoom are preferred.  

Laura is a Certified Collaborative Family Law Attorney with many years of experience successfully Litigating in Family Law Courts around the State of Maryland, and as such, she now helps her Clients avoid Divorce and Custody Litigation by using the Collaborative Law Process, educating them about Maryland Family Law, and advocating for them within the Collaborative Law Process, or if they prefer, providing Mediation services for them to avoid having to Litigate this way.


Using the Maryland Collaborative Law Alternative Dispute Resolution Process enables Clients to avoid Court and avoid the risk, cost, stress, and acrimony that is inherent in the Court process while at the same time having an experienced Maryland Family Law Attorney politely advocate for them in this negotiation process.

Laura helps Clients in All Counties in Maryland who want to resolve their Divorce and Custody cases, and/or Co-Parent their children, with LESS Cost, Risk, Stress, and Expense by Avoiding Litigation.   Meetings by Phone or Zoom are preferred.

Laura is skilled at resolving Divorce and Custody cases within the Maryland Collaborative Law Dispute Resolution System in a way that keeps negotiations on track in a Positive Diplomatic way.   She took this skill for granted until she encountered some other attorneys who communicated in ways that kept diplomatic negotiations from being possible.


Laura serves Clients who want their lawyers to behave diplomatically and who want their Maryland Family Law negotiation process done in the most polite and effective way possible based on their Attorney's knowledge gained from Experience in Maryland Family Courts and Diplomatic Mindset.

--With each party still having their own Maryland Certified Collaborative Attorney advising them about Maryland Family Law and skillfully diplomatically advocating for them within the Maryland Collaborative Law Dispute Resolution Process advocating for them, with the parties choosing to Settle their case based on what they and their respective attorneys conclude may be a range of possible outcomes if their case went to Trial, after working together to resolve their case, while avoiding the public Litigation System and the Risk, Cost, Stress, and Loss Of Privacy that are inherently involved in it


--With part of advising including advising how to avoid costly unnecessary and unhelpful battles


--Drafting Prenuptial Agreements (before marriage), Postnuptial Agreements (after marriage), and Final Settlement Agreements when desired


--If the case has already been filed so that there is an open case with a case number, Maryland Law permits the Court to do what they call "Stay" the case to allow the parties reasonable time to engage in the Collaborative Law Process, if they both request this.

This Collaborative Law Process includes educating clients about Maryland Family Law and helps people focus on moving forward, in as positive a manner as possible, in ways that are best for the children involved, as they legally structure, or re-structure, their families.

The Collaborative Law Process is for people who want to resolve their Maryland Family Law cases with as much honor, generosity, and privacy as possible and consciously navigate the Maryland Family Law Process where each party has their own attorney advising and advocating for them in a conciliatory manner.


The Out-Of-Court Collaborative Law Process is a structured form of Alternative Dispute Resolution recognized By The State Of Maryland
(Where both parties each have their own specially-trained certified Collaborative Law Attorney advising them and working together to resolve the Divorce and/or Custody case without Litigating in Court)


The drawing below is an illustration of how both you and the Other Party can be sure you are right and the judge may still see things from a different perspective than either one of you.   This is a risk you run by going to Trial, no matter how right you think you are and no matter how good you think your attorney may be.   Judges are not limited to considering only the things you and your attorney may argue, but are free to view things from their own perspective that nobody in the room may have mentioned.   Seeing this happen over the years help give Laura the appreciation she has for resolving cases without going to Trial.






Laura's many years of Litigation Experience has given her a deep appreciation for the Value of resolving Maryland Family Law cases Collaboratively Out Of Court to avoid the risk, cost, stress, and acrimony often involved in Litigation.


Laura's extensive Litigation Experience has given her the perspective to be able to work well with other like-minded Collaborative Family Law attorneys to possibly achieve results faster, more predictably, less contentiously, and less expensively than may be achieved through the Court system.


Laura has the Mindset, Experience, and Training to keep things on a Collaborative track in a way that is respectful and best for any Children that may be involved, and also for the parties moving forward with their co-parenting relationship.

Laura has completed the training and received the certification required for serving as a Collaborative Law Attorney in Maryland Family Law cases and is a member of the International Academy Of Collaborative Professionals (IACP).


If you let your Custody case remain on the path of Litigation, it is possible that the Court may appoint an attorney for the minor children involved in the case, called a "Best-Interest Attorney (BIA)."   If this happens, you and the other parent may be ordered to pay for this attorney.   Once a case is filed, the Court may appoint a BIA even if neither one of the parties requests this, and the position these attorneys take can be as unpredictable as the positions the judges take.


The same applies to Parenting Coordinators in the state of Maryland.   --If someone asserts that the parties have not been able to communicate well and are what is known as a "high-conflict" case, the Court may appoint a Parenting Coordinator to facilitate communication between the parties, and the parties may be ordered to pay for this.   -- Refusing to try to work things out with the Other Parent can be very expensive and risky.   As with Best-Interest Attorney, the postion Parent Coordinators take can be very unpredictable.


The same applies to any Experts who may be hired for a case.   Experts do not always take the position you may think they will take becasue you are paying for them.   Another thing you are at risk of is being ordered to pay for the Expert the Other Party hires for the case, as well as the attorney fees the Other Party incurred for their part of the case, as in any Divorce and/or Custody case, the Other Party can possibly be ordered to pay the Other Party's attorney fees and suit costs.


Laura is highly motivated to work within the Collaborative Law Process, as she has seen so much of the damaging effects of the Litigation process on everyone involved and has come to learn, as many great martial artists have, that the best way to really win a fight is to strategically avoid it in the first place, which is what the Process of the Collaborative Law Alternative Dispute Resolution Process helps people achieve.


As the people who often want to avoid War the most are the people who have been War, often the people who want to Litigate the most are the ones who have no real idea how negative and Unpredictable the process and the outcome can be.   Sometimes it takes years of Experience to gain a full appreciation for the Value of avoiding the Litigation Process.


Some attorneys never gain an appreciation for avoiding Litigation, even after many years of litigating.   This is why it is very important to make sure you have two attorneys who are not only Certified Collaborative Law Attorneys licensed in the state of Maryland, but who also have the Mindset of wanting to Avoid Litigation and help you do the same, if your goal is to avoid Litigation and keep things as diplomatic as possible.


Laura will be glad to explain the differences between Mediation and the Collaborative Law System Information in an Initial Consultation with her.


In practicing Family Law for over 20 years, Laura has observed that people often choose attorneys who seem to be similar to them in how they behave, and that that people who tend to behave in belligerent ways tend to want attorneys who will behave the same way to such an extent that the case turns in to what has a "professional wrestling" feel to it, which belligerent people often find either entertaining, or feel like this behavior means they are "being taken care of."


Since Maryland Family Law does Not usually reward aggressive behavior in Court, one may wonder why attorneys behave in ways the Court would not promote or condone.   --They do this for the same reason people fight in professional boxing rings -- many people are willing to pay to see a fight.


Another reason some people do not want to use the Collaborative Law System is they do not have an understanding of how their "sides of the story" may be seen so differently from another point of view, even though they feel very sure that they are "right."


Another reason some people do not want to use the Collaborative Law System is because they are feeling very Angry at the Other Party and they want an attorney who will make them feel "taken care of" by behaving very aggressively and rude toward the Other Party and their attorney, to such an extent that they are willing to pay a lot of money for this "service."   --This is Not the population Laura serves.


The population Laura serves are those who appreciate the abilty and skill of avoiding fighting and negative theatrics and view this as a strength, rather than a "weakness," leaving those who have little appreciation for this free to choose the many other attorneys who will be glad to serve them.






Another reason some people do not want to use the Collaborative Law System is that they have heard how very Subjective the Family Law Courts can be, and they want to take their chance and roll the dice, the same way many people do every year in gambling casinos.


The Collaborative Law process is for people who see the value in avoiding the risk, cost, and stress of Litigation.   The world is very big with so much opportunity.   For those who want to Fight The Fight, there are many attorneys who will be very glad to do that for them -- and to charge for all the many hours required to do that accordingly.


There is opportunity now for people who want to move forward in the most conciliatory way possible, where each party has an attorney who has a good understanding of Maryland Family Law, and those attorneys have the mindset and skill to keep things as conciliatory as possible while gently advocating their clients' positions.   These are the Clients Laura serves.


Another reason some people do not want to use the Collaborative Law Process is that they have no idea that working within this System is an option, and they think that they need to get an aggressive lawyer because the Other Party might get one.   One of the benefits of the Collaborative Law System is it involves both parties agreeing to use a Certified Collaborative Law attorney, where part of the Agreement is that everyone involved will Not behave aggressively or rudely.


The Collaborative Law Process is a System that protects the participants from the cost, stress, and damage the traditional Litigation system can involve.   Our world is so big with so many options.   Laura serves Clients who want to take advantage of the Collaborative Law System option and conduct their Divorces and/or Custody cases in non-toxic ways.


Some people do not know that conducting a Divorce or Custody case in a way that is non-toxic is even possible.   However, just like making arrangements to sell one's home can be done in a non-toxic way, even though one never thought they would have to move, and would rather not move, so too can going through a Divorce and/or Custody case be done in a way that is non-toxic.


Would The Collaborative Law System Be Good For Everyone?


The Collaborative Law system is an option many people choose when thay want someone to advocate for them without the negativity that is so often involved in Litigation because they want to spend their focus, efforts, and resources working things out rather than spending their focus, efforts, and resources positioning to fight battles.   Many people end up spending over $100,000 each to fight divorce and custody battles, and for many of these people, they cannot even imagine wanting to spend their efforts on working with the Other Party to resolve matters rather than spending their efforts preparing for battle.


The Collaborative Law system is a good option for people who do not want to make Litigation the center of their lives for a long period of time and do not want to spend their time tying to find and prove fault with the Other Party, but who want to instead move forward with legally restructuring their lives in as positive, inexpensive, and risk-adverse manner as possible with an Maryland Family Law attorney advocating for their rights in a civil manner with another like-minded attorney doing the same for their Client.   This is the population Laura serves.


Laura also offers Maryland Divorce and Custody Mediation Service for parties who prefer to resolve their Maryland Family Law case that way.


Laura will also be glad to give some experienced legal advice, based on many years of experience in Maryland Family Law Courts, to Clients who are not fortunate enough to be working with another Party who is willing to work within the Collaborative Law System or resolve the case by seeing a Mediator.

Click HERE to schedule an appointment with Maryland Collaborative Law Attorney and Mediator Laura Matney

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