Helpful Websites and Books

Clients often ask us for reading recommendations. Here are some of the books we suggest on collaborative practice, negotiations, children and divorce, and other topics related to family law.

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton (Penguin, 2011)
This book is a guide to resolving personal and professional conflicts in a way that is agreeable to all parties. It has been used by lawyers, mediators, and laypersons in preparing for negotiations for over 30 years.

Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles, and the Bitter Realities of Family Court by Justice Harvey Brownstone (ECW Press, 2009)
Written by a judge, this book provides a simple, jargon-free explanation of family law concepts and clarifies the family court process. The book also details alternative dispute resolution methods, and explains why these are preferable to court litigation.

Because Life Goes On: Helping Children and Youth Live with Separation and Divorce – A Guide for Parents (Public Health Agency of Canada)
This helpful book provides useful information, based on studies in child development and psychology, on how you can help your children cope with your separation or divorce. It addresses parenting strategies for during and after the separation process, and provides advice specific to children at different stages of development. Available online.

What Happens Next? Information for Kids about Separation and Divorce (Department of Justice Canada)
This booklet was designed for children between the ages of 9 and 12, whose families are in the process of splitting up. It answers common questions young children often have regarding the divorce process in simple terms that children will understand, and explains to children that it is normal to have an emotional response when their parents are going through a separation or divorce. Available online.

We’re Still Family: What Grown Children Have to Say About Their Parents’ Divorce by Constance Ahrons (Harper Paperbacks, 2005)
This book is based on interviews of one hundred and seventy-three grown children whose divorcing parents were also interviewed years earlier and reveals that most children can and do adapt, and that many even thrive in the face of family change. With the insight from these grown children of divorce this books provides helpful road maps identifying both the benefits and the harms to which post-divorce children are exposed and, ultimately, what they can do to maintain family bonds.

A Client’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce: Putting Your Family First by Gillian Bishop
This guide is for people who are contemplating a divorce or separation and genuinely want to find a way of resolving issues without involving the court. This guide will assist them in making the right choice for them and their family.

The Collaborative Way to Divorce : The Revolutionary Method that Results in Less Stress, Lower Costs, and Happier Kids–Without Going to Court  by Ron Ousky and Stuart Webb (Hudson Street Press, 2006)
This book provides further information about collaborative divorce: based on the central tenet that both participants agree to resolve their differences with no intention of ever going to court, the collaborative process focuses on finding common interests while allowing each person in the couple to hire active legal representation. Stressing cooperation over confrontation and resolution over revenge, the smart divorce is beneficial in that it is generally less expensive and quicker than litigation, gives the couple greater control over the outcome of their divorce, and keeps children out of the controversy

Collaborative Family Law: Another Way to Resolve Family Disputes by Richard Shields, Judith Ryan, and Victoria Smith (Thomson Carswell, 2003)
This book is the authoritative Canadian treatise on collaborative family law. The authors bring practical legal, mediation and social work experience to their discussion of this novel development in family law. The work offers a comparative analysis of the principles and practice of collaborative family law, mediation and traditional litigation.