Game Theory & the Transformation of Family Law

In this groundbreaking book, principles derived from game theory are applied to family law, an arena often plagued by bitterness and what appears to be irrational behavior. The principles of game theory—the scientific study of how and why people make decisions—lends itself to the practice of family law in our traditional divorce system, one that often leads to rational but self-defeating, sometimes destructive decision-making. The authors propose a new approach lawyers and mediators can use to: improve success rates optimize outcomes for both parties decrease conflict divide property determine custody arrangements establish constructive coparenting relationships Revolutionize your understanding of family law. Learn how utilizing the mathematical principles of game theory can help you, as a legal professional, to create enhanced outcomes for your clientsenhanced outcomes for your clients, their families, processes between attorneys, and your business. The whole family, and especially the children, will benefit.

In this groundbreaking book, principles derived from game theory are applied to family law, an arena often plagued by bitterness and what appears to be irrational behavior. The principles of game theory—the scientific study of how and why people make decisions—lends itself to the practice of family law in our traditional divorce system, one that often leads to rational but self-defeating, sometimes destructive decision-making. The authors propose a new approach lawyers and mediators can use to: improve success rates optimize outcomes for both parties decrease conflict divide property determine custody arrangements establish constructive coparenting relationships Revolutionize your understanding of family law. Learn how utilizing the mathematical principles of game theory can help you, as a legal professional, to create enhanced outcomes for your clientsenhanced outcomes for your clients, their families, processes between attorneys, and your business. The whole family, and especially the children, will benefit.

Kenneth H. Waldron, PhD, currently works at Monona Mediation and Counseling in Monona, Wisconsin. He was trained as a child psychologist, specializing in child and adolescent psychology and adoptions. He was trained in divorce mediation in the late 1970s and began working with families in the context of the family law arena. By 1985, he had a practice devoted solely to family law work. He performed custody evaluations for several jurisdictions in California, developed a mediation practice, and also developed one of the early parent education programs. He also developed a treatment model for co-parenting counseling, which over time has expanded to include specialty treatment programs for unique problems, such as parent-child estrangement. He helped establish the parent education program in Madison, Wisconsin, and helped design and establish a group co-parenting counseling program in Illinois. He has served as an expert witness in numerous states and in Canada, both as a family evaluator and as an expert on social science research related to divorce. He has been trained in collaborative divorce as a child specialist and coach. Dr. Waldron has presented on topics related to families with divorced/separated parents in jurisdictions around the United States to lawyers, judges, mediators, and mental health practitioners. He has regularly presented to students at the University of Wisconsin Law School. He has published in both local and nationwide journals on various topics related to children of divorce and has published books on parent education and the effects of divorce on children. Dr. Waldron is a founding member of the Wisconsin chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and is currently on the chapter’s board. He has also served on the board of the Wisconsin Inter-professional Committee on Divorce. His current practice is devoted to serving as court-appointed expert, performing custody evaluations, and testifying to social science research, divorce mediation, co-parenting counseling, and specialty counseling for problems associated with divorce.