What are courts doing to heal and strengthen marriages?

This site is dedicated to gathering the latest information on efforts by the courts and the legal profession to heal and strengthen marriages. I don't yet know of many such efforts, but I know they are needed, and in order to advocate for them we need to know what people out there are already doing.

If you know of any such program or effort -- at any stage of development -- please post a comment on this site to tell me -- and the rest of the word -- about it. Check the comment section to see what others have written.

If you want to write to me privately, please e-mail me through my law firm and it will go directly to me. You can always get in touch with me by posting a comment on this site or calling me at 703-528-6700.

Please do not use this site for political debates such as gay-marriage issues, etc.

-- John Crouch
-- A pro-marriage divorce lawyer in Arlington, Virginia

Comments

[Dr. Lee Jagers]

Happy to hear what you are doing. Check out a recent post I made on my blog (dedicated to the integration of psychology and theology as well as social issues). http://leejagers.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/divorce-law-change-in-louisiana/ I also teach a class on Counseling and the Law at Dallas Theological Seminary in which I challenge the students to consider what the law can do to strengthen marriages. I'll be interested in following your work and staying in touch.
Regards,
Lee Jagers

[Deb Strubel]

Leah Ward Sears, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, established a new commission--The Commission on Children, Marriage, and Family Law. The commission is composed of about 40 state leaders to help strengthen marriage and families. Press release is here: http://www.gasupreme.us/familylaw.pdf.

An attorney in Tennessee asked for our help to establish a similar commission in his state, so we are working there as well.

Please visit the Institute for American Values website for our reports and publications on family law.

[Jeffery Morgan]

In Ohio, specifically Montgomery County, we have had success with Court and Marriage initiatives in the following: Attorney’s have been trained in mediation process. This coincides with Dissolution-no fault divorce. The process encourages couples to process their desire to divorce. If divorce is final, they are guided in a distribution of property and custody. The focus is non-adversarial.

There are pilots of pre-marriage counseling. I think this needs to be mandatory.

In Ohio, the domestic court system needs education on family preservation: factoring the whole family system’s needs in decision making. We know there is a correlation between father alienation and lack of child support, parental involvement.

Juvenile Court needs to be educated on the need to mandate EBP family stabilization practices for at risk kids.

Lastly, Juvenile court’s Truancy Court is successful in identifying and intervening with at risk families.

Jeff Morgan

[Warren Tibbotts]

Great site. I personally believ marriage relationship help isnt as balanced as it should be. There seems to be far too much weight provided by the law to the weaker party during marriage relationship breakups, and this is particularly concerning when it comes to the custody of children which from where I come from is strictly in favor of the mother, regardless of how fit to be the best parent she may be.

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[New Jersey divorce attorney]

Being a child of divorce I know things can get crazy and at times the courts can only make things worse for everyone. Please don't bring your children into these situations.

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[co divorce lawyer]

The source of "true marriage healing" lies within the spiritual aspects of who we are. How do I know this? Because I've been to marriage counseling, and I have read all the self-help marriage books, and because, I did all the things "they say" that are supposed to help you love who you married. But the reality of it is folks, there is no magic pill or potion you can take, and there is no person, besides you, that is going to heal your marriage as it is meant to be healed.

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If you are going through a divorce it is probably already obvious that financial problems seem to pop up and/or grow. Prior expenses like child care, transportation, food, utilities, rent or mortgage expenses often increase, sometimes significantly.

[Jamie London]

Well John, in the 4 1/2 years since you posted your question, I see that only 2 comments, from Georgia and Ohio, really gave good information concerning the court's role in promoting marriage and family. I do feel that couples with issues resort to the court system only when all else fails. Thankfully in my line of work I am able to have some positive effect in the area of marriage restoration. I hope you have continued to make strides in this arena. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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I'm not sure the courts and legal profession can ever strengthen and heal marriages. It comes down to two people wanting to make the effort to stay together. Beyond that, no one nor any legislation can prevent divorce or strengthen marriage.

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I hope you have continued to make strides in this arena.