Services

Litigation

Sometimes disputes between parties can only be effectively resolved after both sides have presented their cases in a contested trial or hearing. Our team has  excellent and experienced trial litigators for all aspects of law and with a particular focus and expertise in family law.
 

Mediation

Wessel & Doheny offers the services of experienced and trained mediators. Mediated divorce and custody resolutions focus on the choices of the spouses and/or parents as the primary deciders of the issues in their lives and the lives of their children. A neutral third party, the mediator, helps couples focus the issues between themselves, facilitates their communication, identifies solutions and brokers compromise by engaging with the couple in their communication efforts.

Collaborative Practice

Mary Therese Doheny has trained in the use of the Collaborative Process and offers legal collaborative solutions for marriage dissolution (commonly referred to as “divorce”), and the allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time (commonly referred to as “child custody”) and parenting issues. Collaborative practice resolves disputes without relying on the court system, and maintains all individuals’ dignity and respect, through open communication and information sharing. Both parties in collaborative practices have attorneys in the negotiation process, and the team approach allows for the assistance of financial, personal coaches and child custody specialists. The collaborative process eases the psychological strains on a family.
 

Consultation

When individuals are facing problems alone, or cannot get others to share responsibility for the solution of problems, consultation services help an individual identify means of addressing problems and plan healthy responses and long-term resolution strategies.
 

Child Representation

Occasionally, the Court may appoint an attorney to represent the best interests of minor children who are the subject of divorce or custody litigation. Both Mary Therese Doheny and David J. Wessel have extensive experience in this area, and are often appointed by the Court in this capacity, representing the child's unique interests from an independent perspective through the conclusion of the litigation.

PARENTING COORDINATION

Although the final documents outline ways to work together for your children, there are times when you as parents need some outside guidance and straight answers. The use of a neutral Parenting Coordinator to resolve specific issues pursuant to an entered Allocation Judgment can be invaluable to receiving a resolution to the issue much quicker and less expensively than going back to court.  We are available in that role.