​AMITY CONSULTING

 RESOLVING DISPUTES RESPECTFULLY 

Child Custody Consultation: Dr. Chandler Hoffman can assist you to understand and navigate the process of divorce, separation or other family reorganization. As an expert in custody matters and family law issues, consulting with Dr. Hoffman gives you an advantage. His expertise in these family issues provides the client with validated techniques to decrease the negative psychological effects of divorce and will save money in the long run. 

Confidential Mediation involves a neutral professional to help the divorcing couple resolve the practical aspects of separating and planning for the future. Custody mediation will address the child related issues and develop an initial and long term parenting plan. If there are complex financial aspects of the divorce, a neutral financial professional and/or attorneys can be involved in the mediation process. Integrative Mediation Bay Area.

Recommending Mediation/Parent Coordination: Parents involved in contested court matters or at an impasse over custody decisions can use Dr. Hoffman's extensive background in the family and juvenile court negotiations to craft appropriate parenting plans.  

Collaborative Divorce is a process that uses a team of divorce professionals to assists clients in reaching agreements that amicably settle the divorce. You make the decisions yourselves through meetings with professionals specializing in the professions of law, mental health and divorce finance. 

The Collaborative Divorce process is based on three principles: 

1) A pledge to reach agreement without going to court
2) An honest and open exchange of information by both spouses and team members
3) A solution that takes into account the highest priorities of both spouses and their children. 

In Collaborative Divorce, each spouse has: 

A Divorce Coach who helps you manage challenges of divorce and separation, while focusing on your goals for the future. Dr. Hoffman will assist you in being at your best in the divorce process which will directly benefit your children. 

An attorney who advises you but works collaboratively with the other attorney and other parties toward settlement. It is highly recommended that you hire an attorney who has special training in Collaborative Law. Dr. Hoffman recommends attorneys from http://www.collaborativepracticeeastbay.com. 

A Child Specialist is an expert in child psychology and development who meets the children to assist them in expressing their feelings and assessing their needs and concerns about the divorce. Dr. Hoffman has an expertise in child development and has interviewed thousands of children as a family court mediator and as a group leader for Kids Turn. The Child Specialist communicates with the parents and the team in order to inform the process and help the parents make the necessary decisions. Dr. Hoffman brings both his personal and professional experience as a father and psychologist to bare when working with children from divorced families. 

A Financial Consultant can help protect your financial interests by providing guidance and developing viable financial options for the divorce. Temporary and long term arrangements are made, taking into account the future financial well-being of all parties. 

With your consent, the members of your professional team consult and share information with each other in order to reach optimal and mutually beneficial agreements. Throughout this process, the emphasis will be on open communication, respect, reciprocity and keeping the goal of settlement in mind. If either party chooses to go to court despite the agreement not to, all professionals must withdraw, and each party must hire new litigation professionals. 

Amity-Consulting is a member of the largest collaborative group in the country, The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), as well as the local Alliance of Collaborative Professionals, East Bay (ACP) and the San Francisco Collaborative law group. Dr. Hoffman can use this vast network to refer you to attorneys, financial consultants, and other professionals trained in the collaborative divorce process.​

Collaborative Practice East Bay offers monthly seminars, called Divorce Options, on the second Saturday of each month, designed to help you understand the choices available to you, including the benefits and limitations of each dispute resolution method or model. Their informative, in-depth Divorce Options program is presented by a team consisting of an experienced divorce lawyer, a financial advisor and a family counselor.