Lessons from Marriage Story: What it Got Right and What it Got OH SO WRONG! with Special Guest, Professor Carolyn Kaas on The Divorce & Beyond Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #120

The movie "Marriage Story" garnered a great deal buzz and won a number of awards but is it accurate?  Is that what divorce really looks like?  On this episode Susan Guthrie speaks with Law Professor, Carolyn Kaas, to reveal not only what the movie got right, but more importantly, what it got OH SO WRONG!  If you are worried this is your future, be sure to listen today! The award winning movie, "Marriage Story" created quite a stir in the world of divorce and captured multiple award nominations for not only the film, but also the actors.  In fact, Laura Dern won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her portrayal of a divorce attorney reportedly patterned on celebrity divorce attorney, Laura Wasser.  But just how accurate is the depiction of divorce in the movie?  On this week's episode, Susan Guthrie speaks with Professor Carolyn Kaas, who will be incorporating the movie into her curriculum for the future lawyers of America as a teaching tool of what to do, and more importantly, of WHAT NOT TO DO.  Susan and Professor Kaas bring you the insider view of where the movie hits the nail on the head, and where it veers far off the factual path.  If you are facing divorce and are worried that the movie is a crystal ball of your future, find out what you can do to be sure that your divorce unfolds differently and learn from the teachable moments that Professor Kaas will be using to help launch the future of the legal profession! Highlights from the Episode: What about this movie does Professor Kaas feel makes it the "perfect teaching tool?" How does putting on the "glasses of trial prep" right from the beginning hijack your divorce process? How does their approach to the process change as many divorce attorneys practice longer and longer in the field? Is the "2nd Happy Halloween" ending of the movie a realistic portrayal? Is there a different function for a lawyer than to be a "weapon or a shield?" What is the worst part about the mediation "fail" in the movie? AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!  Be sure to listen - you'll want to watch the movie again with new eyes once you have listened to this episode! Learn More About Professor Kaas and Quinnipiac University School of Law:  Carolyn "Carrie" Kaas is an Associate Professor of Law at Quinnipiac University School of Law. She currently serves as Associate Dean of Experiential Education and Co-director of the Center on Dispute Resolution, and also directs two of the law school's eight academic concentrations: Family Law and Civil Advocacy & Dispute Resolution. Kaas’s primary clinical teaching is the externship courses, and her doctrinal teaching is in the areas of family law and in dispute resolution, including mediation and interviewing and counseling.Kaas has long been active in the national clinical legal education community. Her 2015 book, Building on Best Practices, which she co-edited and for which she served as a contributing author, arose out of her work with this community. Kaas is active in the Family Law and Dispute Resolution national academic and practice communities as well.Kaas serves on a number of national and state boards and committees, including Connecticut Legal Services, Connecticut Mediation Association, Connecticut Council for Non-adversarial Divorce, and the Non-Defensive Voice. She is active on the Connecticut Bar Association Standing Committee on Professionalism, the Connecticut Bar Foundation Fellows Education and Program Committee, and the ABA Committee on Law Student Competitions.Two of Carrie's four children are graduates of Quinnipiac Law, and her husband, Glenn, is a retired state prosecutor. Carrie and Glenn are happy grandparents of three grandchildren... and counting. For more information on Quinnipiac School of Law visit their website:  https://www.qu.edu/schools/law.html.   For more information on the Conflict Management Institute mentioned in the episode, and Susan and Carrie's workshops, visit the Center for Conflict Management here:  https://www.qul