Allison's Personal Story.

Allison is an author, attorney and one of the pioneers in the field of divorce mediation.

Here is her story

I grew up in Missoula, Montana. I received my B.S. degree from the University of Arizona at the normal age of most college graduates, married and had three children. I enjoyed the luxury of being a full-time mother until the age of 39 when I decided to pursue my dream of becoming an attorney. I completed law school, passed the Bar, and became a single parent.

While in my last year of law school I worked as a student intern at the Pima County Attorney's Office. One day a trial I had was cancelled. Little did I know that this event would start me on the path to my career. A fellow student asked me to go with her to a workshop begin given on divorce mediation. Although I had never considered family law to be an area of practice that would appeal to me, by the end of the presentation, divorce mediation had captured by vision. I was particularly attracted by the fact that mediation, at that time, was a new, innovative approach to resolving legal issues and represented a common sense and humane approach for divorcing couples and their children. I was especially lured by the thought of being a pioneer in the field.

Tucson did not seem to be a place to start such an innovative practice, so I moved to Phoenix, leaving my teenage children in our home in Tucson. Every weekend I came home to cook, clean and interact with them. I knew no one in Phoenix but dove in with the confidence and blind passion of a woman on a mission. Although I was not quite sure how I was going to fund my monthly expenses, I set such concerns aside, leased an executive suite in Scottsdale, and opened my family law and mediation practice. A few family law attorneys and judges were supportive; many others downright dismissive - the media, however, was receptive. Because mediation was such a new concept, radio, TV, and newspapers gave me space and air time. Additionally, clubs around the Valley invited me to speak. I think I spoke at every morning breakfast meeting in the Valley. I passionately plead the case for mediation to anyone that would listen, met with judges and took counselors and lawyers to lunch. I wrote articles for every magazine and newspaper that would print "the story." My former husband paid me the whopping sum of $100 per month for spousal support for one year. I used this money to basically rent a couch in a one-bedroom apartment of a girlfriend with whom I had gone to law school. I'm not sure how I paid my bills, but I did. I'm not sure how I got through those first few years, but I did.

Meanwhile, there was always a question about whether the Bar would condone the practice of mediation for an attorney. In many parts of the country there had been conflicting ethical opinions from the Bar, some of which had concluded that mediation, because the attorney was working with both parties, was a conflict of interest and therefore did not fit within the ethical guidelines for attorneys. Convinced that mediation was the right track, I reasoned that the old guard simply had to make the transition and accommodate it. In those early years, however, I lived with the constant concern about a bar complaint. Being stubborn helped.

This turned out not to be the only time I was willing to put my license on the line to defend what I believed was the appropriate growth of mediation. Difficult and controversial issues arose often (and some still continue to arise) when attempts were made to superimpose the practice of mediation on the traditional values of legal practice. During these early years, I was active on the national mediation scene. The most rewarding of those activities was serving on the American Bar Association (ABA) Committee that put together the first set of attorney/mediator guidelines. When the ABA finally accepted those guidelines, mediation was legitimized. There was no turning back the clock and the clock has been moving slowly forward every since.

I practiced family law in conjunction with mediation for about 16 years before I felt I could financially let go of my legal practice, which I did not enjoy, and devote my practice exclusively to mediation clients.

I am the publisher of the Divorce-In-A-Nutshell series of ten books, the author of four of those books and the co-author of one. I am also a published photographer.