What is your business and where is it?
I am a founding member of Bleczinski, Kleiman & Klein, LLC located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.  Our firm has been in existence since April of 2004.  My partners and I exclusively practice Family Law in the five county area. 
 
What motivates you to make divorce healthier?
In over 20 years of handling divorce cases, I have seen the good and the bad.  Highly contentious, protracted divorces are destructive to families.  No one “wins” in those situations.  Conversely, a healthy divorce entails amicable and cooperative behavior.  When spouses engage in such a manner, they likely will maintain a meaningful relationship post-divorce.  This is vital if there are children.  Assisting clients in achieving such outcomes is a priority in my practice.
 
Why did you decide to Sponsor the Make Divorce Healthier Symposium?
My firm and I are proud to help promote the meaningful dialogue between like-minded professionals that will occur at the Symposium.  We are committed to furthering the notion of healthy divorce.
 
What do you hope to take away from the Symposium?
The credentials of those presenting at the Symposium are quite impressive.  I look forward to learning ways to improve the services provided to clients from a multi-disciplinary perspective.  I also look forward to interacting and developing relationships with other professionals who are also committed to helping families that are struggling through a very difficult time in their lives.
 
What would you like to talk about that I did not ask you?
I reside in Dresher, Pennsylvania with my wife and two teenage daughters.  I’ve learned that to be an effective lawyer, achieving a professional and personal balance is very important.  When not working, I enjoy coaching my daughters’ sports teams and outdoor activities, particularly hiking locally and in the Western U.S.  I also enjoy volunteer work, serving on the Board of the Briar Bush Nature Center, and volunteering for Canine Partners for Life. 

Diana C. Schimmel is a partner of Petrelli Previtera Schimmel, LLC and chairs the firm’s adoption sub-practice group. In addition to guiding families through the adoption process, Diana focuses her practice on other areas of family law. She has represented couples and families in legal matters including divorce, custody, support, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, enforcement and modification of agreements, same sex rights, domestic violence, and paternity.

We're honored that Diana has decided to join us for the 2018 Make Divorce Healthier Symposium. On April 24, she'll be co-leading a roundtable discussion entitled, "A Modern Family: Problems and Solutions from the Estate and Family Law Perspective." In anticipation of the event, we asked Diana for an interview...

What is your business and where is it?
I am a founding member of Petrelli Previtera Schimmel, LLC. Petrelli Previtera Schimmel, LLC is a law firm dedicated exclusively to the practice of family law including: divorce, child custody, child support, alimony and spousal support, grandparent’s rights, adoptions, domestic violence, enforcement and modification of existing orders, same-sex family rights and prenuptial/postnuptial agreements. Our main office is located in Center City Philadelphia on beautiful Rittenhouse Square. We also have offices in West Chester, PA, Norristown, PA, Voorhees, NJ and Princeton, NJ.

What motivates you to make divorce healthier?
As a family law attorney for almost ten years now, I have seen the damage that a divorce can do to a family, particularly children. I also have a background as a child advocate attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Having children as clients provided me with a unique perspective that I have carried into my private practice work in the divorce arena. I have also seen how an interdisciplinary approach utilizing all ancillary fields, can help some of the inevitable impact divorce can have.

Why did you decide to help organize Make Divorce Healthier Symposium?
I have been a big fan of the work that Main Line Family Law Center has done and am always impressed by their passion to work in creative ways with families. When I first heard about the symposium it sounded exciting and novel; not like the typical CLE we usually attend. It was the first time I had heard of all the cross-disciplines coming together and I knew I had to be a part of that. At the inaugural symposium, I was asked to lead a round table and I knew that this year I had to do more.

What do you hope to take away from Make Divorce Healthier Symposium?
I hope to take away a deeper understanding of my fellow ancillary professionals’ perspectives and find some useful tools to integrate the best divorce approach. Just as we as lawyers want therapists, mediators, financial planners, etc. to understand our field and perspective, I want to learn the same from others. I want to breakdown stereotypes and learn how to best help our clients towards a common goal. I hope to share my own perspective from work in the divorce field and educate others on how I run my practice and what I have found that works for my clients.

Anything else to know about your practice?
I grew up in Wynnewood and have an intimate knowledge of the Greater Philadelphia Area and its people. Our firm is made up of three partners, three associates and some dedicated support staff. We focus exclusively on family law and are masters in our field on top of the cutting edge developments in a modern family evolutionary time.

Click below to see who else is making divorce healthier and reserve your seat at the symposium!

Fares Sukkar is the Make Divorce Healthier Symposium conference coordinator and a  a Senior at Villanova University majoring in Political Science with minors in Spanish, the Humanities, and Peace and Justice Studies. 

Connect with Fares on LinkedIn.

By Sharon Pastore

​As co-founder and director of marketing and client experience for Main Line Family Law Center, I have the unique and wonderful job of nurturing potential clients toward peaceful resolution of their divorce through private mediation and divorce without court. I also have the pleasure of meeting with former clients to learn from them about their experience and how we can improve. 

Yet, when people ask me, how’s business?, this simple conversation starter causes me to look down and fumble for the appropriate response. Part of me wants to blurt, “Great! Phones are ringing, the website has over 20,000 visits per month, clients are signing on left and right, and the divorce business has never been better!” For some reason, that seems weird. 

My partner, an attorney-mediator, shares the same awkwardness. His knee-jerk response is, “Unfortunately, good. There’s no shortage of divorces out there, hehe...” With a hint of comforting sarcasm, it seems to put everyone at ease in that moment, and we quickly move on. But it also doesn’t tell the whole truth - that we love helping (ready and willing) people get divorced, and we’re good at it. 

As divorce professionals, we tend to downplay our enthusiasm for our work. We acknowledge that divorce is depressing, which also furthers the belief that all these divorces must mean that the world is going to hell in a handbasket and that we’re facilitating it all. 

I beg to differ. 

Our reviews and testimonials show that we are doing extremely important work, especially if a client is willing to post a public review on Facebook or Google.

What I wasn't totally comfortable with was whether we were making a difference over the long haul. From reviewing 5+ years of numbers we knew that 96% of our clients successfully completed mediation, we had yet to learn what the longer-term impacts of our model might be.  

I was hankering for more serious data.  

Now that we finally had a post-divorce cohort, we hired a consultant to contact all clients who were divorced at least 1-2 years, with a basic goal to find out whether clients went on with their lives in a positive way and whether mediation played a role in that.  

First and foremost, all 26 clients interviewed expressed extreme gratitude upon hearing from us.  

Of those who participated, we found the overwhelming majority of our families report they are doing just fine, validating the efforts and sheer devotion our team puts into the craft of divorce mediation, and that we are indeed attracting the ideal client.

While the sample size was not statistically significant, we can report a few strong indicators from our study: 

Study Highlights
My Healthy DivorceⓇ Mediation Program, 1-2 Years Post-Divorce
A Holistic, Comprehensive Divorce Model Developed by Main Line Family Law Center

What's Working? Of 26 former clients interviewed by phone: 

• 25 of 26 said mediation was still the best choice for their family, helped them avoid court and was cost-effective.
• 24 of 26 felt the mediation process brought proper closure to their marriage.
• 23 of 26 felt their family and themselves are emotionally healthy.
• 23 of 26 felt our mediation process helped them learn about resources to help themselves and their family.
• 19 of 26 had such a positive or transformative experience, that they agreed to either become peer mentors to those approaching or going through our process or consider the possibility once they had more information.

5 Major Takeaways: Main Line Family Law Center Client Follow-Up Study

​Areas to Focus:

While we found results that demonstrated long-term impact, we found room for improvement, which included: 

Helping Clients Recognize Divorce as an Empowering Process - While 16 of 26 said they felt empowered in the process, 8 were unsure as to whether they were empowered. As a result, our team is now focusing on ensuring clients make the connection between education and empowerment, especially when it pertains to financial literacy and the dependent spouse. 

Helping Clients Resolve Issues Post-Divorce -  When issues arose, only 13 of 26 worked out the issue on their own. And so, while many used their negotiation skills to resolve differences, many who needed help did not think to contact our office. We now plan to offer a ‘service maintenance plan’ so we are top of mind if things get complicated, as well as follow up online courses on how to resolve issues that arise.

In summary, if we want our clients to continue to grow through divorce and beyond, then we must continue to fine-tune our model so all motivated couples can benefit. (Besides, who likes having to give a refund!) 

That’s why we are a proud founder and partner of Make Divorce Healthier Symposium, a one-of-a-kind event that brings remarkable professionals, best practices, and real stories and results like ths together. It’s an all-around energy boost for this difficult, yet rewarding work. As my teammate always says, “...to be part of the solution, and not the problem.”  (And what marketer wouldn't put in a shameless plug for an event they are involved with)

Suffice to say that I’m no longer uneasy when I’m asked about how business is doing. I reply with unfettered confidence, “We are helping a lot of grateful people through one of the toughest times in their lives, and our families are emerging healthy on the other side.”

Main Line Family Law Center is the platinum sponsor of the 2018 Make Divorce Healthier Symposium. Consider being an MDH sponsor or program advertiser. More info

​About Sharon
Sharon Pastore is passionate about the power of entrepreneurship to create social change. Prior to co-founding Main Line Family Law Center with her husband in 2011, she spent 17 years in the nonprofit and education world and is an AmeriCorps alum. Drawing upon her experience, Sharon uses mission-based marketing and program development to generate awareness, understanding and trust around divorce mediation as a healthier option for separation and divorce well before a client's first consultation.  She founded the Make Divorce Healthier Forum in 2016. She lives in Havertown, PA with her husband and two daughters. Connect with Sharon on LinkedIn. 

I’m still reeling from our first Make Divorce Healthier Supposium (spelled correctly), a gathering of over 130 divorce professionals who, by showing up, committed to making divorce kinder, more mindful and more affordable. 

So many thoughts - where to start?

First, people seemed to be astounded that this was even pulled off with a sellout crowd in year one. But I really wasn’t surprised. I’d been paying close attention to the needs of this community ever since I co-founded Main Line Family Law Center and got into the divorce business (yes, it is a business) 5 years ago.

See, I’m a bit of an outsider.  I come from the world of education, nonprofit, marketing and entrepreneurship. I don’t know any judges personally, nor the inner workings of family court. I have no political ties. So in that sense, ignorance was bliss. Perhaps my kind of skills and background were just what the field of divorce needed.

In growing our business, I’d met so many caring and generous people who’d been touched by divorce, only to find themselves called to help others. Their stories of resilience have become woven into the fabric of the larger conversation. Then, this past year, I finally heard a call of my own - to bring a larger community of these kinds of folks together. People who were starving to be seen as part of the solution and not furthering a problem. 

I’d also quickly discovered that healthier divorce was actually a cause that has been largely ignored in our culture. After all, there’s a choice to divorce - unlike, say, cancer. 

But I’m really not one for rhetoric....I’m more of a get-it-done kind of gal. I like dreaming big, working with remarkable people, creating content, and monetizing ideas that matter.

This supposium couldn’t be a day where we leave depressed, burned out, and apologetic for the work we do, because we rehashed just how bad divorce can end up for families. 

Could I simply create a command to “Make Divorce Healthier” - then expect an awakening? Would a call to action like “Make Divorce Healthier” help people find their tribe on a larger scale?

Um, yes.  

I admit it was hard to gauge the content level because of the interdisciplinary nature of the audience.  I also knew the roundtable discussions might be noisy, but I also felt there was power in the energy of 130 people in same room, all having related discussions. Each person was pushed to listen that much more closely to each other over “the noise.” What an unlikely metaphor and exercise for making divorce healthier.  

I only met one lawyer who said he was there for the CLE’s. Even he was surprised with how much he was enjoying himself, and said this was not the typical CLE program.

Many would agree that there was something magical about the day. Just to prove it, I noticed six coincidences in my symposium experience:
​

• The event was held in the Silos ballroom. How appropo, considering for too long, we’ve been working in our respective silos, which has contributed to the problem.
• Our event planner’s 3rd anniversary was on Nov 15th, the same day as our event, and her wedding in the same ballroom.
• The venue for a divorce event was held at the #1 wedding destination in the Philadelphia region. 
• The keynote focused on the value of discernment in preserving relationships, no matter their marital status. We don’t lose business.  Clients trust us more and will come back, if and when they are more ready. And they will be much better clients.  Could we have brought good karma to those getting married here?
• A friend I hadn’t seen in 30 years attended and ended up volunteering. We were a bit competitive in elementary school - and there she was, supporting and encouraging me. What a coinkidink.

And now, the biggest coincidence of all. The event was held exactly 1 week after the most contentious election in our entire lives. Between a man and a woman, no less.  Just enough time for a little emotional distance, but not so far out that it was still on all of our minds on Tuesday. 

Think about it. We spent months watching candidates unwittingly play to win - at all costs. Insults hurled to motivate their base. These tactics ultimately caused a nation to become divided, full of blame, deep sadness and grief. Repressed anger has been unleashed. What we see now are heels digging in further, guards going higher, fear making its way into our hearts and spirits.

What we are actually witnessing or feeling in this country is the pain of divorce.  

The Make Divorce Healthier Symposium instantly became part of a nation’s healing - one couple, and one divorce professional at a time. 

That’s why I believe it was magical for so many.

Lastly, I learned something about myself in all this.  As an artist and social being, nothing gives me more joy than when I create - create a space for each person to play a role made just for them. To watch all those individual pieces work together for the greatest good is just awe-inspiring.

I thank you all for offering me a palette of colors to work with, allowing me to mix the colors boldly, and create this work of art that I call the Make Divorce Healthier Supposium.

What is your business and where is it?
My Wayne, PA based firm, Entrust Financial LLC®, partners with clients to help them make good financial choices in all aspects of their lives so they may be confident of their financial security. In fact, my firm's mission inspired me to write Balancing Act: Wealth Management Straight Talk for Women. 

Through the lens of true life stories of many women and men, readers learn the steps they need to take to maintain personal financial success. And 100% of the proceeds from the book are funding a scholarship at Temple University for students with financial need.

Entrust has a strong commitment to using a holistic approach, beginning with the investment plan as the foundation of each client's financial house. From there, often with the assistance of a team of professional advisors, we address financial concerns that go beyond investing. Our clients value financial independence so they can pursue the style of living they prefer.

What motivates you to make divorce healthier?
There may be no time when making good financial choices in all aspects of life is more important or more high-stakes than when individuals are faced with divorce. Money and financial decision-making can be emotionally-charged and difficult in the best of times. A divorce proceeding can exponentially increase the challenges.

What is the solution? It is to partner with a team of advisors who listen, understand, educate and facilitate. This solution enables both spouses, the family, and the professional advisor team to pull together on the journey of establishing for each spouse a new style of living, perhaps now as the single parent head of their own respective household. The founding principle of this solution for families with children is that the spouses may be divorcing but the family is not.

My firm is passionately motivated to promote good financial decision-making so divorce becomes a fresh start for two new households rather than a bitter ending with lifelong negative consequences for the family.

Why did you decide to participate in Make Divorce Healthier Symposium?
I am participating in the symposium because of my passion for helping women become increasingly confident in the pursuit of financial well-being. The planning required for financial well-being is complex and requires intention and action. 

The symposium provides a crucial forum for addressing a number of arenas for healthier divorce, including financial.  In the financial arena, knowing how to put all the economic cards on the table is a first step in formulating a game plan to address individual and family needs–so financial resources can serve everyone's interests. Serving everyone's interests during pivotal times leads to healthier results.

What do you hope to take away from the Make Divorce Healthier symposium?
I hope to refresh my skills in the arenas affecting healthier divorce that go beyond the financial, skills such as counseling, current legal trends, and transition skills to assist former spouses and families as they begin their new lives.

My goal is to hone my personal and professional skills as well as to build my network of professionals, thereby strengthening the recommendations and service our Entrust team provides to benefit clients.

However, it does not simply end with divorce, children will continue to observe how their parents interact. That’s why the way we go about divorce is so important. A healthy divorce is the first step in setting up a lifetime of healthy communication for the family. Healthy communication is the biggest gift that we can give to our children.

What will you be speaking about at the Make Divorce Healthier Symposium?
I will be speaking about empowering the dependent women. I aim to speak to professionals about the woman who has given up her career and ambitions to take care of her children and family and now finds herself in the place of “what the hell is going to happen now”. My presentation will provide insight into the process that many women must face of getting back onto their feet amidst a murky water divorce.

What do you hope to take away from the Make Divorce Healthier Symposium?
Commitments. I hope to take away commitments from some of the attendees to change the way divorce is done in this country. Together, we can change divorce from unhealthy to healthy. 

​ I have learned over the years that in most cases clients ultimately end up better off both emotionally and financially when they can collaborate and resolve their issues with as little animosity as possible. When I picture a healthy divorce that is what I see.  At all points of the process, you have a client that is content with how things are playing out and how they end.
 
I spent the first few years out of law school litigating at a large Philadelphia firm.  While it was beneficial to learn how that process plays out, I also learned there is real value in avoiding it in most circumstances. Ultimately, clients are more satisfied when they are involved in the resolution than when it is imposed by a third party. As a result, I’ve been dedicated to the process of collaborative law.  I trained in it and I am one of the charter members of a collaborative law group that was established in 1999 and which still remains active today. 
 
Why did you decide to help organize Make Divorce Healthier Symposium?  
I think it’s a great opportunity for professionals and lay people in the area to all get together, meet like-minded people and have an open exchange of ideas.  It also provides us the opportunity to learn from not only those in attendance, but from the great presenters too.  It is a very diverse panel of people who each brings something interesting to the discussion.  Ultimately, this symposium will result in more people that keep the process of divorce healthy.
 
What do you hope to take away from Make Divorce Healthier Symposium?
I hope to meet like-minded people who approach their practice like I do, whether it’s lawyers, psychologists, financial professionals or others.  I also love to learn and I think I will come away with great information that I can apply to my day-to-day practice. 

Michael Kleiman is a founding member of the King of Prussia law firm of Bleczinski, Kleiman & Klein, LLC, where his practice focuses on all aspects of family law, including divorce, custody, support, equitable distribution, pre-nuptial agreements, protection from abuse, and adoption.

He graduated with honors in Government from Franklin & Marshall College and from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where he was an editor of the Law Review. Upon graduation, Mr. Kleiman was presented the Statewide Award of Excellence in Family Law by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Mr. Kleiman served as a law clerk for the Honorable Anita B. Brody in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

Mr. Kleiman has also co-authored numerous articles relating to family law issues which have appeared in the Legal Intelligencer, the Pennsylvania Family Lawyer, the Family Advocate, and the Family Law Quarterly. Mr. Kleiman also lectures on various family law topics.

Mr. Kleiman is trained in collaborative law and is a member of Collaborative Law Professionals of Southeastern Pennsylvania. He was honored as a "Distinguished Advocate" by the Support Center for Child Advocates in 1998. Mr. Kleiman served as Chair of the Montogomery County Bar Association Family Law section in 2010 and was a director for the Montgomery County Bar Association from 2010-2013.

Using the website, both parents in a family have equal access to features including a shared parenting time calendar, expense and payment log, family information bank, and much more. Templates built into each feature cue parents to create entries with complete details and make them immediately available to the other parent. Parents are better able to get straight to the facts without the frivolous conflict or confusion that often accompanies other methods of communication such as email or texting. OFW has proven to be so effective at helping parents to moderate conflict that family law judges routinely order its use in contested cases across the entire United States and 5 Canadian provinces. 

When co-parent communication is documented and in one location, the work of family law and mental health professionals becomes much easier. Attorneys, guardian-ad-litems, parent coordinators, and others appointed to a case are granted full access to oversee client activity and work directly with parents on the website. Instead of combing through dozens of email cc's from clients, one free professional account will give you all the access you need to get a clear view of what's going on with any family you work with. Professional users can also retrieve court-admissible records from their account. 

Most importantly, OFW helps to protect children from conflict. When a child picks up a parent's phone only to read an upsetting text from their other parent, or when kids are used as a messenger for their parents who simply won't speak to each other, they are forced into the middle of their parents' conflict. The OurFamilyWizard website creates a private and secure space for parents to contain their communication so that the kids remain shielded from any arguments. Moreover, the website can help put an end to conflict by encouraging parents to communicate in a manner that is more concise and efficient. It does so by getting parents to use tools that are alternative to traditional messaging. While the website does provide parents with messaging space, nearly all of the logistics can be worked out using the shared calendar, expense log and information bank.  

The OurFamilyWizard website makes divorce healthier by improving parents' odds of resolving conflicts on their own through the use of this highly-structured, neutral communication tool. When parents are able to spend less time litigating disputes, they are both able to spend more time focused on their children.

​Katrina has been a professional liaison for the OurFamilyWizard® website for five years. Her role includes educating Judges, lawyers, and other family law professionals on the online tools that can be utilized to benefit and monitor the parental communication process in high conflict cases.               
 
Recent speaking engagements include the Ontario Court of Justice, West LegalEdcenter, AFCC Annual Conference, Miami-Dade County Bar and Bench, and Tacoma County Bar and Bench.
 
She graduated Cum Lade from the College of St. Catherine receiving a BS in Entrepreneurship and Marketing/Management. She earned her MAOL with an emphasis in Strategic Management from St. Catherine University.