Pauline H. Tesler

After being a public interest lawyer for poor children I spent some years as a hardball divorce litigator. I learned that 100% of the losers and about 70-80% of the so-called "winners" come out of divorce court disgusted with the process and unhappy with the results. In the words of a famous California family law judge, divorce court is where they "shoot the survivors." In collaborative law and collaborative divorce, divorcing couples have plenty of support and advice from their lawyers in a process marked by integrity and self-respect. Couples design their own solutions, and they are content with the results. I like working this way and I know my work is useful.