The conference will be held on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, West Virginia Mackenzie and Brenda are working hard at the office and also on a very special project:  The West Virginia Restorative Justice Summit. Registration opened this week for the summit, which will be held on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College from June 14 through June 15, 2024.   The summit will bring together community members, professionals, and justice-impacted individuals to explore their experiences with the educational and judicial systems and explore options for ..read more

March is Mediation Month in Virginia, when the state celebrates its strides in creating options for alternative dispute resolution, including mediation. In 1993, Virginia passed the dispute resolution proceeding statutes in Virginia, legislation that has continued to play an essential role in institutionalizing the use of mediation in the courts. Then, in 2002, the Virginia Administrative Dispute Resolution Act was signed into law, creating opportunities for numerous governmental entities to adopt mediation and other creative problem-solving methods to address disputes. The proclamation honors ..read more

Navigating legal issues can take a significant toll on our well-being, especially concerning matters of the heart. During Heart Health Month, it's crucial to recognize how litigation can impact our emotional and physical health. The stress of legal battles can heighten anger, diminish our sense of control, and strain relationships with loved ones and within our community. So, how can we prioritize our heart health amidst legal challenges? Choose the Right Legal Support: Seek out a lawyer experienced in alternative dispute resolution methods like mediation. These avenues often offer swifter ..read more

Prioritize your Heart Health-Look Beyond Diet and Exercise February marks American Heart Month, a dedicated time to prioritize cardiovascular health. Amidst the advice on diet changes and exercise, the role of how legal conflicts impact our heart health might be overlooked. As a lawyer/mediator, I’ve observed that legal proceedings may be harmful to our health!  They increase our underlying stress, make us feel out of control, often further destroy relationships, and tend to increase episodes of anger.  All of these emotional responses can be destructive to our hearts, and the damag ..read more

Conventional Options to Address Concerns in Child Custody are Often Insufficient. Collaborative divorce may facilitate a child-centered divorce (especially when parents have fitness concerns). Sometimes, during a free initial consultation with a potential client, I hear, "Sure, co-parenting is best, but my partner can't co-parent. They have a problem with drugs or they have an issue with alcohol or they have a mental illness that makes them unfit." What choice does this parent have to protect the child?  Try to get an emergency order after a 15 or 30 minute emergency hearing?  File a ..read more

What are the important elements for a child-centered parenting plan? As part of Child-Centered Divorce Month, today's post focuses on the critical components of a parenting plan. A parenting plan is a document that parents who are not residing in the same residence create to help plan child custody. In other words, how to make decisions about their child and to create a schedule for custodial time. It's important to avoid using a fill-in-the-blank form for your parenting plan, as your family is more complex than a generic template. Instead, examine important issues, engage in discussions, and ..read more

Considering children’s personal, social, physical, and learning needs. January marks International Child-Centered Divorce Awareness Month, shedding light on an approach that prioritizes the well-being of children during the divorce process. The concept of a child-centered approach to divorce draws inspiration from the educational philosophies of Rousseau, Dewey, Montessori, Isaacs, Piaget, and Erikson. In education, being child-centered means recognizing and addressing a child's unique needs and interests, prioritizing experiential and discovery-based learning over a rigid curriculum.  A ..read more

Waugh Law & Mediation provides professional services that are strategically designed to prevent or resolve conflicts and improve relationships.  To that end, we have identified our core values that form the backbone of the work we do—every day.  While our practice continues to evolve as we learn more about conflict resolution, these values continue to guide our work.  ·      Collaboration: We are ideally situated to be part of a collaborative team to address a conflict. The client knows more about their problem, the history, and the future. We k ..read more

Disputes are an inescapable part of contemporary life, encompassing workplace disagreements, family issues, and contractual conflicts. Traditionally, resolving these conflicts through litigation is often both financially and emotionally draining. In such situations, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provides a valuable and flexible avenue for reaching amicable resolutions. This blog post will delve into key ADR terms and definitions to help you better understand these indispensable dispute-resolution methods. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): A process mutually agreed upon by dispu ..read more

Restorative Justice Week in West Virgina. Restorative Justice Week is the week of November 20, 2023. As a member of the West Virginia Restorative Justice Project, I am excited to participate in a dynamic one-hour webinar focusing on how West Virginians are bringing restorative justice to their work and their lives in order to build stronger communities. Restorative justice is not a specific program but a group of values and principles. Often, restorative justice employs processes such as talking circles and victim-offender dialogues to increase the restorative potential of dispute resolution ..read more