FIRM OVERVIEW

Boston Law Collaborative is a multidisciplinary law firm devoted to conflict resolution and the practice of collaborative law. Our goal is to save our clients time, money, and the emotional upheaval produced by litigation. Do we also go to court? Only when necessary. Many years of experience have taught us that problem-solving and effective negotiation produce better results. And with experienced professionals from the fields of law, mediation, psychology, and finance, BLC offers clients a full range of services and support.

"If your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail."- Abraham Maslow.

BLC looks for alternatives to litigation – the legal system's traditional, adversarial method of dispute resolution. Our tools are collaborative law, mediation, arbitration, and case evaluation. Our approach is to seek common ground and find better solutions.

BLC was founded in August 2003 by David Hoffman, and on January 1, 2004, Olive Larson joined David as a member of the firm.  David was a partner at Hill & Barlow, where he served as a mediator, arbitrator, and attorney (handling family, employment, business, real estate, construction, and tort cases) for seventeen years; Olive, formerly of Friedman & Atherton, has a Masters degree in Tax and has been practicing family law for fifteen years.  Together with attorneys Vicki Shemin, Craig Silverman, and Mary Jurgensen LaCivita, who have joined the firm during the past two years, BLC has almost 100 years of family law experience.  BLC's Executive Director and ADR case manager, attorney Israela Brill-Cass, has more than ten years of experience in mediation and arbitration cases.  Most of BLC's lawyers and affiliates are members of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council, and eight members of the BLC team are trained mediators.

A multi-faceted law and dispute resolution firm.

In 1976, Harvard Law professor Frank Sander developed the concept of the multi-door courthouse – a place where people could opt for trial or a variety of dispute resolution processes (such as mediation and arbitration). Today BLC is applying the multi-door principle to the delivery of client services.

Helping people reach agreement is our goal. But, we are not strangers to the courtroom. If the case is not appropriate for collaborative law or mediation (learn more about suitable and unsuitable cases), a court appearance may be needed. Our clients get the information, guidance, and services they need – whether those services involve law, counseling, financial matters, or workplace advice.

BLC is unusual in several respects:

• Multidisciplinary practice. BLC rents space to three very talented professionals (psychologist Dr. Richard Wolman, financial professional Susan Miller, and workplace consultant Dina Beach Lynch) with whom we work closely together to solve clients' problems. BLC's affiliates have their own separate practices, but we join forces when our clients need the services of more than one profession. We are one of the few firms in the U.S. to bring together under one roof such a team - all devoted to finding less expensive and more durable solutions to conflict.

• Collaborative Law. BLC looks for every opportunity to resolve conflict without going to court. Collaborative Law is an important development in the practice of law - permitting clients and lawyers to use problem-solving strategies instead of threats and ultimatums. Six of BLC's lawyers are members of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council, and BLC member David Hoffman was one of the co-founders of the Council.

• Dispute Resolution. BLC provides mediation and arbitration services, as well as a variety of other services in which we serve as impartial dispute resolvers - such as case evaluation, parenting coordination, and guardian ad litem services. We also provide training and consulting about dispute resolution. Four BLC lawyers and two of our affiliate members are experienced mediators, and three of us provide parenting coordinator and guardian ad litem services.

Click here for:

• Mission and Values
• Firm Policies
• What Clients Are Saying About Us
• People