Why Attorneys Consult With Me
With more than 30 years of combined experience as a mental health and substance use clinician, neutral custody evaluator, mediator, and Parenting Consultant, I understand how complex social, behavioral, and family-system issues intersect with family law.
I provide attorneys with an experienced perspective on the human dynamics underlying their cases - helping identify relevant information, clarify complex issues, prepare clients, and develop practical strategies. This allows attorneys to spend less time sorting through the social and behavioral complexities of a case and more time focusing on what they do best: practicing law.
Client Preparation & Consultation
Preparation matters especially when the process is unfamiliar and the stakes are high.
Custody evaluations, Social Early Neutral Evaluations (SENE), Parenting Consultant involvement, and other neutral processes can be difficult to navigate. Parents may have years of history, thousands of communications, complicated family dynamics, and deeply held concerns, yet only limited opportunities to communicate what matters clearly and effectively.
I have worked with hundreds of families navigating high-conflict custody and parenting disputes. I understand these processes from the inside: what neutrals need to know, what information is useful, where parents commonly become sidetracked, and how disorganization can obscure otherwise important information.
I work with clients and their attorneys to help clients enter the process informed, organized, focused, and prepared.
Consultation may include:
Preparing for custody evaluations and neutral evaluation processes
Preparing for Social Early Neutral Evaluations (SENE)
Understanding the role and expectations of a Parenting Consultant
Organizing records, communications, timelines, and supporting information
Identifying the issues most relevant to the neutral's task
Separating important evidence from years of accumulated conflict
Helping clients communicate concerns clearly and factually
Preparing for interviews, meetings, and difficult conversations
Identifying information the client may need to obtain or discuss with counsel
Helping clients understand how their own communication and behavior may affect the co-parenting dynamic
Attorney & Litigation Consulting
Complex family law cases deserve more than legal analysis alone.
Attorneys routinely manage cases involving mental health concerns, substance use, high-conflict co-parenting, custody evaluations, psychological testing, and complicated family dynamics. While these issues often drive litigation, they can also consume significant attorney time and make it difficult to identify what truly matters.
I work alongside attorneys as an independent clinical consultant, helping them organize complex information, identify strengths and vulnerabilities, evaluate behavioral evidence, and prepare strategically for negotiation, mediation, or trial. My role is not to practice law or provide opinions to the court. Instead, I help attorneys understand the human and psychological dimensions of their cases so they can make more informed legal decisions.
Consultation May Include
Reviewing custody evaluations and psychological reports
Interpreting testing results and behavioral information
Organizing large volumes of records into meaningful themes
Identifying strengths, weaknesses, and evidentiary gaps
Preparing for mediation, settlement conferences, and trial
Developing parenting plan considerations
Understanding substance use and mental health issues
Assisting with witness preparation and case strategy
Developing cross-examination questions for Mental Health Expert Witnesses
Providing objective consultation throughout the life of a case
A prepared client is a strategic asset.
In complex family law matters, more information is not necessarily better information. The challenge is determining what matters, why it matters, and how to communicate it effectively.
Take it from someone who has done the work: a client who understands the process, organizes the relevant information, communicates effectively, and remains focused on the issues that matter is better positioned to participate meaningfully in the process, and makes their attorney's job easier, too.
You know the law. I know the process from the other side of the table.