On June 7, Karolina Brekken-Hoerl and Elizabeth Drotning Hartwell presented a workshop at the AFCC (Association of Family & Conciliation Courts) 61st Annual Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Together with Deborah Link, MA, LMFT, of the Ascend Family Institute in Minneapolis, they presented What If It’s A Zebra: Spotting and Effectively Managing Exceptions in Families. Their workshop used the saying “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras” as a framework for identifying and effectively managing both patterns and exceptions in families by examining biases and the tools to overcome them, analyzing real-life scenarios from both legal and mental health perspectives, and discussing how to effectively bring these issues before the Court.

Karolina and Liz are partners in the firm’s Family Law practice area. Their practices focus on all aspects of family law matters, including dissolution, custody and parenting time, post-decree matters, child support, spousal maintenance, complex asset and valuation issues, grandparent/third party custody, parental relocation, domestic abuse, domestic and international parental abduction, pre- and postnuptial agreements, and adoption. Particularly, Karolina and Liz specialize in highly complex custody and parenting time cases. 

In addition to representing private clients, Karolina and Liz are also certified as Qualified Neutrals under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice. Having both received training through AFCC, they are frequently appointed by the Court to help Minnesota families in the roles of Parenting Consultant, custody evaluator, private Guardian ad Litem, and mediator.

AFCC is the premier interdisciplinary and international association of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through the resolution of family conflict. AFCC members are the leading practitioners, researchers, teachers, and policymakers in the family court arena. Their 61st Annual Conference, Coping with Transition: Individual, Family and Beyond, brought together attorneys, judicial officers, dispute resolution and mental health professionals in Boston, Massachusetts. This year’s conference presenters came from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the U.S.