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Divorce, unfortunately, brings out the worst in people, even good people, and the kids are always stuck in the middle. Joryn Jenkins is an attorney that has been trying cases for forty years. She has seen how divorce courts can ruin people both financially and emotionally. When she learned about collaborative law, she knew instinctively that this was something she wanted to get involved with. What was once Joryn Jenkins and Associates, today is called Open Palm Law. She is here today to tell us that there is a better way! During this episode, she shares her career background with us, and how she discovered collaborative law. Death and divorce are the top two stressors that people experience in life, but Joryn believes that this can be reduced by using a ‘kitchen table divorce’ where you discuss the five most important factors of the dissolution of your marriage without a facilitator present. However, she has also seen the value of providing a support system for people to help them listen and communicate better. Joryn tells us why she believes in the collaborative process, how it works, and what her role is, and shares with us the goal of her work: to help clients walk away better parents, people, and friends. Join us to hear more! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• How she would describe the personality traits that make her perfect for family law.
• The nature of a courtroom divorce: you find yourself dragging up whatever you can against the other side. 
• Why death and divorce are the top two stressors. 
• How keeping a journal of everything your spouse does can be so destructive.
• What collaborative law is and how there are different ways to approach a divorce.
• What is meant by a ‘kitchen table divorce’.
• The five things you have to consider during a divorce: parental decision-making and time share, equitable distribution of assets, alimony, child support, and everything else.
• The definition of a good mediation: everyone leaves unhappy.
• How she works to find out a client’s true interests through eliminating stress.
• The result of collaborative divorce: people end up being better parents.
• The story of a client who Joryn helped to communicate what she needed to say. 
• Your role as the white knight in court, and a team player in the collaborative process. 
• The collaborative team and the different professionals she includes in this process.
• The life plan she is helping a couple to develop instead of entering a marital agreement.
• The hearing process versus the collaborative process. 
• The goal of collaborative divorce: to walk away a better person, friend, and parent.
• What she envisions for separation parties.
• How she chooses not to push collaboration on her clients but her mindset falls outside of court.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 Joryn Jenkins
Joryn Jenkins on Instagram

Joryn Jenkins on Twitter

Joryn Jenkins on LinkedIn
Open Palm

War or Peace

I Never Saw my Father Again

The Zen Mommy

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