(0:00 – 4:15)
Hi everyone and welcome to another Family Law Matters, a very special Family Law Matters. I’m Dr. Michael Mantel, always privileged to be joining Bonnie Rabinovich-Mantel, owner and managing partner of the very esteemed Primus Family Law Group. Hi Bonnie.
Hi Michael, I know you were smiling because you can see I’m excited. It’s a very special episode. Why don’t you tell us why this is so special? This is our 100th episode of doing Family Law Matters and you know it has been so much fun doing this with you.
I could not imagine doing this with anybody else and yes, for the 100th time we are not related. We’re just not related. Our names are spelled differently, sound the same, not related.
Not related. Good friends, but you are one L short. Sorry to say it, but no, you’re right.
This is a joy and we put a lot of time into this listening to what people suggest that we talk about and we welcome people to write to you and to be in touch about hey, discuss this, but we’ve been doing this for a couple of years and rarely have we missed a week even during holiday time and so that’s incredible. 100 of these broadcasts. So I have a question.
Over the last couple of years you have been at center field of family law. A Primus Family Law Group is considered to be the esteemed, heralded family law group in San Diego by so many people. Very sweet, Michael.
Well, it’s true. What have you noticed over the last couple of years in family law as a trend? You know, I don’t know if it’s because of the pandemic or, you know, people say the pandemic was a blessing and a curse, which definitely I believe it was, but I am seeing a trend in mediation. People are not wanting to wait the court times, you know, because the backlog is still severe.
You’re going to wait 18 months, two years to get a trial date, you know, so people are not wanting to wait those kinds of times. They’re not wanting to have to put their whole lives on hold for that kind of time frame, not to mention the expense. You know, we’ve talked about this many, many times and bar none, mediation is less expensive if it’s done the right way, if it’s done the Primus way.
What do I say? That said, I have definitely seen an upward trend in mediation. People want to work together to get things done. I think that’s in part, there’s a sense of let’s not add to the turmoil and to the angst and the friction.
Let’s dial it down. I mean, there is a trend over the last numbers of years of divorce actually decreasing. And I think it’s not so much that divorce is decreasing as much as the fight is decreasing.
People are saying, let’s do this in a healthier, rational way so we both can go on with our lives. Now that you say healthier, it’s one of the things about the pandemic put a huge focus on mental health, self-care, you know, people being, before people isolated was a rarity, not as much the norm with the pandemic, it was the norm. And so I think a lot of people who are getting into mental health are recognizing that stress and one of the largest stressors of life is a very litigious divorce.
I mean, that can ruin health. So I think people are taking that into heart when they’re making these decisions. No doubt about it.
I mean, many of the couples that I work with who are making decisions about divorce, I guide them to do this in the healthiest way possible. You have a life later. Divorce is not the end of your life.
(4:15 – 4:55)
It’s the end of your marriage. And so if people want to be in touch to talk with you about how to do a healthy divorce, how can they reach you? Well, first, thank gosh for you and a hundred episodes of Family Law Matters, but how they can reach us is 619-574-8000. And someone will put you on my calendar for a free 30 minute phone consultation, or you can reach us online at www.PrimusFamilyLaw.com and you fill out a form and we will reach you within 24 to 48 hours.