Joan Watke

I have been practicing law for 25 years. My primary focus is helping clients with their estate planning. It all happened becauseI was out with friends one evening, having left my 3 small children with a teenage babysitter and I thought, what if I was severaly injured in a car accident on the way home, or worse yet, died? As a parent of small children, I agonized for days and weeks choosing their daycare (on more than one occasion). Yet, I didn't have anything in place to protect them if I became disabled or died. I had life insurance, but that's only money. Who would raise my children like I would?

If I was hospitalized, who would pay my bills? Nowadays, most of us pay our bills on-line. Who knows your passwords? Who even knows what bills need to be paid?

My answer to all of these questions was easy and frightening - I hadn't done anything to protect my children if something happened to me. I quickly realized that if I hadn't done anything to protect my family, my clients probably hadn't either.

It really is surprisingly simple process to protect your assets and your children. I use plain English to explain everything to you, so you get exactly what you need. 

The secret is that adoptions are my favorite area to practice. Helping people create a forever family is the most fulfilling thing I do professionally.

I also practice in the area of collaborative divorce. I enjoy helping people keep their focus on what's best for their children and negotiating a fair division of their assets and liabilities, so families can move forward with their lives. In a collaborative divorce, both parties are still represented by theri own attorney, but you also have access to a mental health divorce coach, a financial expert who serves as a neutral for both parties, and a mental health child specialist (if needed). The parties sign a Participation Agreement that they will work throught their issues with the various professionals and not litigiate their divorce in court. I think of collaborative divorce as the healthier way to get divorced.