Donison Law Firm News

Donison Law Firm News

News, Notices, and Updates - March 2007

Parenting Coordinator Services
We’re pleased to announce that Andrea Mouser, Associate Attorney, is now qualified and has been accepted as a Parenting Coordinator through the Maricopa County Superior Courts, joining Pamela Donison in offering this service to clients. For more information about Parenting Coordinator services, visit our website at www.donisonlaw.com.

In the News
Look for an upcoming article regarding business divorces featuring Pamela Donison and Tracy Morehouse by freelance writer Kristin Park in the Arizona Business Gazette (http://www.azcentral.com/abgnews/).

Summer Vacation; Change of Schools; Summer Parenting Schedules
With summer right around the corner, it’s time to review your parenting plans to ensure that you have vacation schedules finalized before you start packing! Remember to give adequate notice to your co-parent and to provide a detailed itinerary in advance of your travel. Also, if you are traveling outside the continental U.S., you’ll need a passport for each minor child, proof of relationship if their last name is different from yours, and a notarized letter from your co-parent acknowledging consent to travel. For more information about travel requirements, visit the U.S. State Department website or contact your airline for more information.

If your children are changing schools or school districts in the next school year, make sure that you have your co-parent’s written permission (if required by your parenting plan). To ease your child’s transition to the new school, both parents should attend registration and orientation, if your schedules allow.

For any issues that may arise regarding vacation schedules, summer parenting schedules, or change of school, planning ahead is essential as our schedules tend to become more busy around this time of year. If you foresee any disagreements over your child’s schedule or school, please review your parenting plan and call for an appointment as soon as possible to resolve the matter before summer arrives.

Thank you for placing your trust in us to handle your family law needs.

New Orleans, December 2006

In December, Pamela and Andrea took off for New Orleans on a volunteer mission with America Speaks to act as "skilled facilitators" (mediators) in the New Orleans Community Congress, where they were honored to meet Carolyn Lukensmeyer, founder and president of America Speaks (center, below). That historic event brought together about 3,000 citizens of New Orleans in five cities (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta) to come to consensus on the rebuilding priorities of the city. It was a very powerful, gratifying, exhausting experience that resulted in Pamela having a new view of New Orleans, its citizens, and how things work (or don't). The city is not back on its feet and the devastation of Katrina is overwhelmingly widespread. In some areas, for as far as you can see the landscape is hauntingly desolate. FEMA trailers are a sad "temporary" fixture.

The people of New Orleans -- each of them that they met and interacted with, from cab drivers to participants in the Congress -- were strong of spirit if not a bit weary from their travails, welcoming to strangers, open minded about solutions, bewildered by their plight, eager to put their houses in order and their community aright, and ready to move past the horrors of the hurricane that are still so apparent 16 months later. It was a potent reminder that we are our brother's keeper and we should not turn our backs on our fellow citizens in their time of need, so if you have room for charity this year, please give to the Katrina relief fund of your choice. Here's a donation link to get you started. If you have time, your labor is much needed to help rebuild and you can volunteer through Habitat for Humanity.