Legal Practice

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Speak to people in the community who have used the professional you're interested in hiring. Get recommendations and feedback from former clients - they are the best gauge of what your experience will be like. If you are looking for a real estate lawyer, ask your local real estate brokers who is good at holding together a difficult deal and whose office is professional and responsive. If you are looking for a mediator, talk to several and ask them what their approach to mediation is. There are many different types of mediators and finding the best fit will help you get the most out of the process (and save you money to boot).

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. Don't be afraid to call with questions. We are service providers in your community and you will never be charged until we've agreed to establish a professional relationship. If we don't know the answer to a question, we are happy to help you find someone who will. There are no stupid questions, we are not offended by discussions of cost, we are happy to help you become a more educated consumer.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. If you're looking for a mediator - the Massachusetts statute does not protect the confidentiality of discussions with a mediator unless he or she has met all of the qualifications in the statute - including the completion of 30 hours or more of mediation training. So find out when and where your prospective mediator took the required course work and verify that all of the requirements in the statute have been met if you want to be sure that your discussions remain confidential. The best mediators take their profession very seriously and are also members of a number of professional organizations dedicated to alternative dispute resolution. Some terrific mediators maintain a practice outside of mediation, but the best mediators are those whose mediation practice is central to what they do. Is their mediation practice a sideline or is it an integral part of what they do? The skill sets required to be a good mediator can be quite different from those used by good lawyers and good therapists.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. From our Mediator, Laura Graham - "I'm a better listener than most lawyers who do this work and I have a better grasp of the law than most therapists who do this work. I am also a firm believer that there is no "one-size-fits-all" template for the perfect mediator, and that the mediator that is best for you is the one with whom you feel comfortable working (assuming you've gotten past the minimum qualifications). If you are looking for a mediator, go to MCFM.org to see the list of qualified professionals with whom you might work and call several."

From our Real Estate/Business Lawyer, Steven Graham - "I am able to offer many years of experience, solid connections to other professionals in my community, and an attention to detail in all that I do. My years of experience allow me to quickly grasp the essence of a situation and identify practical solutions to obstacles as they present themselves. With the help of my dedicated and outstanding staff, I am proud to deliver the highest level of service to my clients."

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. From our Mediator, Laura Graham - "I love working alongside my clients to help them create their new futures. No two people are the same so no two mediations are the same, but I love those moments in a mediation when my clients look at one another and decide that they're going to speak up, be active participants in imagining their new lives without their former partner, and together we find the common ground we need to make that future real. When a mediation goes really well, I get to see the transformation in a couple from hurt and anger to cooperation and the building of a new relationship. This is especially gratifying when there are children involved, but it's a wonderful thing in every circumstance."

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. Yes! We keep a close eye on developments in case law through our affiliation with various professional organizations and, as case law changes or as we think we could use a refresher on various aspects of the law, we take continuing legal education through MCLE or the Mass Bar Association. The courses are good reminders of the nuances of our practice and give us a chance to connect with our fellow professionals. A lot changes in the field of law and staying on top of developments is important to us. For refreshers on mediation skills, Laura Graham enjoys the regular programs offered by the MCFM (Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation) and NE-ACR (New England chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution).

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. For our Mediation Practice - Alimony reform looks like it's just around the corner - and that will make settlement of these cases a LOT easier. In the past, it was very dependent upon the judge in front of whom you would appear and, even then, it was so subjective that no one could predict, with any certainty, what the outcome of litigating an alimony case might be. With the proposed reform, there is both a greater degree of certainty as to what a judge might do if presented the question and (it seems to me) the flexibility necessary to deviate from the "guidelines" if equity demands flexibility.

For our Real Estate Practice - the Homestead Act has been completely revised. With the proper filing, more people will be eligible for greater protection and the level of protection will also be greater. We prepare and file Declarations of Homestead for all of our clients for no charge - our clients only pay for the cost to record and any out-of-pocket costs associated with their new Homestead.

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. We have recently adopted a sliding fee scale for our Mediation Practice. For couples making $100,000/yr. or more (gross income from all sources), the regular rate of $250/hour applies. For those making less than $100,000/yr., there are step-downs at different income levels. A detailed breakdown of our mediation fee structure can be found on our website in the sample materials provided in the Mediation pages.