- DivorceFran Whyman has been certified as a mediator by the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation. In her law and mediation practice, Fran Whyman uses Mediation and Collaborative Law to help individuals and family members minimize the friction that often accompanies separation, divorce, custody and parenting planning, premarital agreements, the challenges of managing a family business, and other family conflict. She received her Mediation training at Harvard Law School in the Program on Negotiation for Lawyers. She received advanced training in divorce mediation, marital mediation, and Elder Mediation. She trained in collaborative law with the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council.
- Child SupportEach family and individual has different needs and concerns, which requires a sensitive and individual approach to resolving issues and planning for the future. As a collaborative lawyer and mediator, Fran Whyman works with individuals, couples, and family members through her collaborative law and mediation practice, Whyman Law & Mediation, to facilitate agreement with respect and dignity. The use of mediation and collaborative law, two alternative dispute resolution methods, are employed to help individuals, couples, and family members reach agreement around challenging issues during difficult times in their relationships. Marital issues and divorce, premarital agreements, parenting plans, custody, child support and maintenance terms, the division of family assets, the terms of modification of a prior divorce judgment, issues related to the management of a family business, and discord among siblings and family members over issues related to the aging of a parent are handled in a confidential and sensitive environment.
- Child Custody and VisitationAs a Staff Attorney at the Cambridgeport Problem Center, (currently CLSACC) she worked with other attorneys and psychotherapists in a multi-disciplinary approach to resolving family issues, including separation and divorce, child support and spousal maintenance, custody and visitation, parenting planning, abuse prevention, and adoption. Her work there convinced her that the traditional adversarial approach to settling family issues escalates and prolongs family conflict. She realized there had to be a way to help family members reach agreement without doing further damage to those relationships. This experience helped to mold her current private practice.
- Adoption
- Premarital Agreement
- Spousal SupportAs a mediator and collaborative lawyer, Fran Whyman works with couples, individuals and family members to help them reach agreement around some of the most difficult issues they will ever face. For an individual or couple facing divorce, sensitive and difficult questions are tackled concerning what the custody arrangement and the parenting plan will look like, what child and spousal support will be provided, how the marital property and other assets will be divided, how health insurance will be covered, and how current and future expenses, such as summer camp and college tuition will be provided for. For a couple experiencing marital differences but hoping to stay together, marital mediation can be helpful by creating a blueprint for staying together. Mediation can be used to help family members in conflict over a family business reach a fair and reasonable agreement while preserving important family relationships for the future. Siblings in disagreement over family matters can use mediation to help settle their different points of view while minimizing conflict and fashioning an agreement that will improve their future as a family. Whatever the specific issues, Fran Whyman works with individuals, couples, and family members to help them reach a fair and reasonable agreement through the use of either mediation or the collaborative law approach.
- Sexual HarassmentFran Whyman taught as a Guberman Fellow in the Legal Studies department at Brandeis University. She led training sessions for school administrators on the prevention of sexual harassment in the school environment. Prior to her work in the law she taught English.
- Estate Planning
- WillsFor individuals and couples with young children, a Will can provide peace of mind by providing for the care, education and financial security of the children. For aging individuals, wills and trusts can help make certain that their estates will pass to those they want to inherit their property according to their specific wishes. A Trust can be created to help secure the financial well being of a surviving spouse and to preserve financial resources for children and grandchildren. Tax consequences are considered to maximize preservation and future use of long-term savings. Children and grandchildren can be provided for. The cost of education of a family member can be planned for. Trusts allow family members to preserve the maximum amount of their family resources by considering the tax implications of their estate.
- Trusts
- Power of AttorneyThe creation of an estate plan brings peace of mind, knowing that you have planned for the future. The practice works with individuals and couples to help them craft a comprehensive estate plan that meets their needs. Fran Whyman meets with clients to determine their needs and desires and to strategize with them about the best ways to achieve their goals. She then implements the plan. This plan may include the drafting of a will, a trust, a power of attorney, a healthy care proxy, a health care directive, a declaration of homestead, and other documents. Previously drafted documents may require updating or modification, and she can assist with this. The practice also helps clients with the probating of an estate.