Lisa B. Forberg has helped hundreds of families find ways to resolve difficult issues during and after divorce. She is experienced in handling a wide range of legal issues in any given divorce case. These include:
- Alimony and Spousal Support
- Division of Complex Assets in High Net Worth Cases
- Division of Music & Entertainment Industry Copyrights
- Residential Parenting Time Plans
- Child Support Plans & Use of Educational Trusts
- Special Needs Trusts for Children and/or Adults
- Parental Decision-Making Responsibility
- Same-Sex Divorce
- Unmarried Parenting Agreements
- Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements
- IRS Debt in Divorce
- Autistic Children in Divorce
- Bankruptcy (Personal or Business) in Divorce
- Valuation of Businesses in Divorce
- Valuation of Vested and Unvested Stock Options in Divorce
- Division of Debt in Divorce
In all cases, whether it is a contested or uncontested divorce, the goal is to obtain good, durable out-of-court settlements while preserving the family’s assets and protecting the family’s privacy. Often this is done best by using either Collaborative Divorce or Early Stage Mediation. Lisa also uses other problem-solving methods for resolving disputes out-of-court with respect, and without escalating conflicts.
She firmly believes that the choices people make during their divorce can have a profound impact on their lives, and the lives of their children and grandchildren. She is committed to helping them achieve their goals through the choices they make with the advice of their attorney or mediator.
Please see the Client Testimonials page on this web site for what former clients of Lisa B. Forberg have to say about how she handled their case and the results.
It may also be helpful to see this overview of the process options clients have for handling divorce and post-divorce conflicts.
Short Bio of Lisa Forberg
Lisa has been working with divorcing families and unmarried parents since 2005 when she decided to devote her law practice exclusively to family law. Before that, she was a medical malpractice and personal injury lawyer representing injured parties in complex litigation.
In 2015, Lisa was named in the national bestseller, Conscious Uncoupling, by author Katherine Woodward Thomas, as one of the country’s change agents in divorce practice “who are working hard to improve things both emotionally and financially” for divorcing couples. The book describes a same-sex divorce based on a case Lisa handled where the parties chose the Collaborative Divorce process to resolve their disputes. Lisa has been a leader in this process, since first being trained in 2006. Over the last ten years, Collaborative Divorce has grown significantly in popularity and is currently practiced in all 50 states as well as in 24 different countries around the world.
Lisa is a member of the Board of Directors of the Middle Tennessee Collaborative Alliance and past-co-chair of the Collaborative Law Alliance (of New Hampshire). She has also been a speaker to groups of judges, clergy, therapists and business leaders on the topic of Collaborative Law. Lisa’s articles on Collaborative Practice have appeared in NH state legal publications as well as in a New England Regional legal practice book.
Lisa grew up in Cincinnati and now lives in Nashville with her husband, Richard, and their cat, Pearl. Lisa and Richard have two grown children: Dan Forberg, chef/owner of Actual Food Nashville, a catering company; and Julia Forberg, a mental health practitioner and dancer, who lives in San Francisco. Lisa is a practitioner of yoga and meditation. Lisa and Richard belong to The Temple Congregation Ohabai Shalom in Nashville.
Education
- Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D.
- Stanford University, M.A., Education
- University of Maryland, B.A., High Honors, English
Tennessee Licenses and Certifications
- Tennessee Supreme Court Licensed Attorney
Memberships
- Tennessee Bar Association
- Williamson County Bar Association
- Board of Directors – Middle Tennessee Collaborative Alliance
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP)
and member of the IACP Committee on the Uniform Collaborative Law Act - Board of Trustees – Temple Congregation Ohabai Shalom
Former Positions and Other Qualifications
Past Co-Chair and Board Member, Collaborative Law Alliance of New Hampshire.
Frequent public speaker on Collaborative Divorce.
Lisa appeared on public-access television and radio programs promoting collaborative methods and multi-disciplinary ways of resolving family conflict.
Author, “Effective, Streamlined Settlements without Posturing, Positioning or Puffery” LAW Matters, August, 2016.
Author, “Conscious Uncoupling: Useful Tools for ADR Family Law Clients” American Bar Association’s section on Dispute Resolution: “Just Resolutions E-News”, June, 2016.
Co-author, “Treatment of Alimony and Child Support in Collaborative Cases,” Collaborative Law: Practice and Procedures, First Edition 2014, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Inc., Boston.
Author, “First Do No Harm: Counselors at Law and the Commitment to Settlement,” opinion article in New Hampshire Bar Journal, November, 2014.
Co-author, “Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice,” New Hampshire Bar Journal, Summer 2012.
Co-author, “The Benefits of the Collaborative Process to the New Hampshire Bench and Bar,” New Hampshire Bar News, November, 2011.
Collaborative and Mediation Training Courses Taken by Lisa Forberg
- 1998: “Divorce Mediation Training” – 40 hours
- 2006: “Basic Collaborative Practice Training” – 1 day
- 2010: “Advocacy and the Role of the Collaborative Lawyer”
- 2010: “Art of the Question: Facilitation and Leading from Behind”
- 2011: “Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice Training” – 2 days
- 2012: “Practical Neuro-Literacy: Where Divorce Practice, Neuroscience and Legal Conflict Resolution Intersect” – 1 day
- 2012: “Collaborative Conversations on Support: A Model between Fear and Fairness” – 1 day
- 2012: “Working with Interests in Collaborative Negotiation” – 1 day
- 2012: “Engaging the Reluctant Spouse”
- 2012: “The Power and Influence of Expectations”
- 2013: “Confronting the Challenges of Neutrality” – 1 day
- 2013: “Deepening Your Effectiveness as a Team Member” – 2 days
- 2013: “Keeping Interests on the Table – Generating Solutions with a Focus on Interests”
- 2015: “Mediation Skills for Collaborative Professionals” – 1 day
- 2016: “Rule 31 Family Law Mediation Training” – 46 hours.
- 2016: “Interdisciplinary Collaborative Training” – 6 hours.
- 2016: “47 Things Peace Makers Should Know” – 6 hours.
Services Offered
Lisa Forberg offers the following approaches for her Family Law clients to resolve conflicts during or after divorce, depending upon their legal needs as well as their budgets:
Collaborative Law (see Collaborative Divorce)- Early Stage Mediation (see Divorce Mediation)
- Uncontested Divorce
- Other ways to obtain Negotiated Settlements
(see Other Out-of-Court Options) - Negotiation Assistance
- Finalizing Settlement Agreements and
Filing All Court Paperwork
All options involve out-of-court negotiations to arrive at fair and durable settlements under Tennessee Law.
These methods apply equally to cases with or without children involved.