Family Law Evolved

At IAALS’ Family Law Evolved: A Non-Adversarial Model for Modern Families convening, we will examine new ways to address family justice issues. These are some of the most difficult and time-consuming court cases to resolve, and can make litigants feel overwhelmed and under-resourced. The traditional adversarial approach to resolving family justice issues adds significantly to the emotional and financial toll that people experience, whether they have legal counsel or are representing themselves.

We are bringing together stakeholders including family court judges, technologists, researchers, lawyers, mediators, and others to share their perspectives on how to simplify and improve the family justice system. The convening will include expansive brain-storming sessions in plenary and breakout group formats, and will focus on building a prototype of a reimagined and non-adversarial model that will be healthier for all family members, more productive, and more efficient for the legal system.

Our goal is to create a new model that focuses on shared responsibility for resolution and moving forward in a collaborative way. IAALS will then seek to test the model so it can be refined and then introduced nationwide—resulting in long-term satisfaction with agreed-upon outcomes, improved emotional health, and stability and calm for children, while reducing post-judgment interactions with the court.

For more information about the convening, please contact project lead Michael Houlberg at michael.houlberg@du.edu.