LAW OFFICES OF BRIAN P. SELTZER

SUMMER 2003 NEWSLETTER

I have several exciting things happening in my practice in 2003, so I decided to prepare my first ever firm newsletter.  My practice still primarily focuses on family law cases (including divorce, paternity, child custody, child support, modifications of prior decrees); Juvenile Court cases (including adoptions, legal guardianships of minors and DFS cases involving allegations of child abuse or neglect); and mediation/arbitration of all disputes (civil cases and family law cases).  I am also frequently being appointed by the Courts in St. Louis County as the Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) for the minor children in various family law and juvenile matters.  I have also gotten involved in several new endeavors which I want to tell you about.

MEDIATION WITH USA & M

While Missouri has no official certification or licensure for  mediators, I have received more than 100 hours of mediation training and education since 1995 and I am listed on several Court-approved mediator lists.  Mediation is  being used much more frequently to resolve disputes that have traditionally been decided by judges and juries after lengthy and expensive court procedures.  It is a great way to resolve disputes more quickly and economically and allow people to go on with their lives and not become entrenched with the court system for a year or two.  I mediate any type of civil dispute, which would include automobile accidents, other personal injury claims, business disputes, insurance disputes, employment disputes and other matters that have been filed in Court or are heading towards Court.  I am also available to arbitrate such disputes.

I have recently affiliated with the premiere mediation group in the St. Louis area, United States Arbitration and Mediation (USA & M).  I am honored to become one of their panel mediators.  What this means is that all of my civil case mediations (NOT my family law mediation cases) will be administratively handled and take place at the USA & M offices in the Laclede Gas building  in downtown St. Louis.  The facilities and staff at USA & M are second to none and make the mediation process an efficient and effective one.  They will handle all of the details of arranging the mediation and make sure that everyone's needs are met while there, such as parking, ordering lunch, etc.  If you have not seen their facilities, contact any of the staff members or Mike Geigerman, Executive Director, at (314) 231-4642 and ask for a tour of the office - you will be impressed.

COLLABORATIVE LAW

I am also very excited about the formation of the Collaborative Family Law Association (CFLA) in 2003, bringing a brand new method of handling family law cases to the St. Louis and St. Charles area.  I am a founding member and the Vice President of this organization, which currently consists of 25 unaffiliated St. Louis area family law attorneys/mediators who are handling family law cases in this new and creative fashion.  As this concept spreads throughout our community, we expect our membership to grow quickly.

Although not every client will want to use this approach, and I am certainly still available to represent family law clients in traditional ways, it does provide an excellent alternative for some individuals.  The collaborative law process helps the parties to the divorce or other dispute stay out of Court, but still provides them with full legal representation at every stage of their case.  Collaborative law is a process that allows the parties to focus all of their efforts and resources on settlement of their cases, rather than on preparing for trial.  Both parties retain lawyers who have been trained in the collaborative law process, and the lawyers and the couple enter into a participation agreement which sets out the framework for how the case will be handled.  The parties and their lawyers then meet in a series of four-way settlement conferences to negotiate the pending issues, with a focus on meeting the needs of both parties as much as possible.  The emphasis is on problem-solving, not creating a win/lose situation.  This is especially important when children are involved.  Check out our website at http://www.collaborativefamilylaw-mo.org for more details.

STAFF

Crista Beracha is a new and energetic attorney who is working for me on a part-time basis, as she is also working part-time for one of the other attorneys in our office suite and is enjoying being a new mother.  She worked for me while she attended law school at St. Louis University and continues to work for me after her graduation in May 2002.  Crista is excellent at legal research and preparing written legal documents and is rapidly gaining experience in making Court appearances as well.  I am already receiving praise from Judges about her performances.  She very much enjoys family and juvenile law cases, as she previously worked as a school psychologist before attending law school.

Renee Hall is my legal assistant/legal secretary/office manager/person that makes sure everything else that needs to be done gets done.  When Renee was hired in October 2000, she had no experience in a law office, but it was obvious to us that she was skilled and bright and would learn rapidly.  She has exceeded our expectations and is now an integral part of my practice.  As a sole practitioner (and now with a part-time associate), it is imperative to have an assistant who can assist clients with various issues that must be handled, which Renee has done in excellent fashion.  You will find dealing with Renee to be a pleasant and satisfactory experience, and she will frequently handle client inquiries when I am in Court.

TRUANCY COURT

I will be beginning my second year as a Truancy Court Judge in the Fall.  This new volunteer program assigns Judges and attorneys to specific elementary and middle schools throughout St. Louis County to convene "Court" at the school weekly for 12 weeks to assist targeted students to improve their attendance and school performance.  This excellent program coordinates efforts by the schools, Courts and legal community.  It is a diversionary program, designed to rectify problems before they evolve into Court referrals for truancy.  Early results are encouraging.  For the 2002-2003 school year, I assisted Judge Susan Block at Brittany Woods Middle School in University City.  Plans are being made for me to have "my own" school in the Fall, possibly McNair School (6th grade) in University City.  This has been a very rewarding experience for me. 

CONCLUSION

Please feel free to contact Renee, Crista or me if you have any questions or just to say hello or drop by to see our offices.  Referrals of prospective clients in the above areas are always appreciated.