Law Commons^™

There is ongoing debate in current family law discourse about how the state can best achieve the goal of promoting less conflict-laden decision making in child-related matters while allowing separated parents to exercise parental autonomy. Specifically, there is disagreement about whether formal or informal dispute resolution processes can most appropriately achieve this goal. In this dissertation, I argue that court-connected parent education programs have the potential to bridge this apparent “divide” between informal and formal dispute resolution mechanisms. Drawing on theoretical discussions about “empowerment” and “informed consent” in the mediation context, my thesis is that within a system that involves …