Family law professionals are often taught a familiar path: screen for family violence, gather disclosure, analyze support, and work through property division. But many family files should not move that quickly.

In this Lunch & Learn, family mediator Micheline Maes explores why effective family dispute resolution requires more than checking for violence and collecting financial documents. Before parties can make informed decisions, professionals need to understand how each person relates to money, what each person understanding is of the financial consequences, and whether stress, culture, long-standing financial roles, power imbalance, or fear are shaping the process. That understanding can change how mediation, negotiation, and even litigation should proceed.

Drawing on her work in mediation, collaborative proceedings and financial family reorganization, Micheline will show why default approaches can miss the real drivers of conflict and resolution. She will also introduce the financial literacy training she developed for family law professionals, along with the legal software tool she created to support the property division process while helping educate both clients and professionals alike. This session offers a practical preview of a broader learning pathway designed to strengthen financial understanding, improve confidence, and support better outcomes for families.

Bio
Micheline Maes, CFP, CFDS-AA, RFM, is a family mediator first and foremost, with a practice focused on helping families move through separation with greater clarity, understanding, and informed decision-making. Her work centers on the financial issues that shape family reorganization, including disclosure, settlement readiness, property division, support, and the practical realities that often sit beneath conflict. Micheline has developed financial literacy training for family law professionals to help them better understand financial complexity, recognize when specialist input is needed, and support stronger client decision-making. She also developed SimpleEquity | DivorceAssist, a legal software tool designed to support the property division process while helping educate both clients and family law professionals in a practical and accessible way.