Navigating Stormy Parenting Plans: Process Over Chaos

Attorney Brian Brunkow will discuss how counsel can help clients anticipate conflict, focus on interests rather than positions, and manage the ongoing challenges of co-parenting with an ex-spouse. He will explore strategies for reframing negotiations, moving from positional arguments to interest-based discussions, and addressing common behavioral pitfalls. Attorneys must prepare clients to handle toxic behavior, understand their own triggers, and preserve self-control throughout the process. Helping clients develop these conflict management skills is more important than ever — it's been reported that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men experience domestic violence in their lifetimes and that 1 in 6 homicides are the result of domestic issues. 

The program will review cognitive biases that often derail negotiations, such as confirmation bias, self-serving bias, and worldview bias, and will outline methods for protecting clients from these traps. Mr. Brunkow will also address partial agreements, test-run parenting arrangements, and discuss other creative options when full consensus is unattainable.

Listen as our expert offers practical tools and frameworks for lawyers counseling clients through stormy parenting plan disputes, including negotiation preparation, post-agreement considerations, and resilience-building techniques to sustain effective co-parenting over the long term.