Tonda Lu Mattie

COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE & FAMILY LAW:  

A Family-friendly and Child-centered Process for Divorce 

       I represent clients going through a divorce or other family dispute who want a resolution process that addresses their highest goals and aspirations as well as being positive, future-oriented, and cost-effective.  I listen to find out what is truly important to my client.  I offer wise counsel and legal advice that is creative but also practical, realistic, and far-sighted.  I support and challenge my client to bring his or her best self to the problem-solving and decision-making table.  I educate my client to empower him or her to make informed decisions and to gain the most from the collaborative process.  I work hard to transform conflict resolution into a healing process. 

       In my own small way I hope to contribute to world peace one family at a time.  This is a notion I could not have had before I met Stu Webb, my Minnesota colleague who is the founder of Collaborative Divorce (aka Collaborative Law and Collaborative Practice) and the Collaborative Process.  His profound concept of avoiding the adversarial court process altogether and focusing solely on settlement changed the way I viewed the practice of family law and my own career.  Now, my efforts on behalf of my clients have a positive impact not only on the short-term circumstances of their divorce or dispute but on their lives as well.  I am at last in a career where I can truly make a difference.   

Collaborate for Your Children's Sakes. 

Tonda