Elizabeth Janovic was employed both as a mediator and as a parenting coordinator in my divorce case. The good outcome in my case was in spite of Ms. Janovic's services, not because of them.
For example, in mediation, my attorney told Ms. Janovic that my priority was getting the best custody arrangement I could, with financial issues secondary. However, he explicitly instructed Ms. Janovic not to reveal those priorities to the other party or her attorney at the outset. Inexplicably, before trying various other mediation strategies, Ms. Janovic almost immediately told the other party that if they would compromise on custody issues, I would be willing to sacrifice many of my financial interests. This early disclosure ended up costing me many thousands of dollars.
However, Ms. Janovic's ineffectiveness as a divorce mediator paled in comparison to her incompetence as a parenting coordinator. Ms. Janovic's first court order as a parenting coordinator violated basic legal standards, so the judge on the case sent it back to be rewritten. Ms. Janovic then charged the parties for the time it took her to redo this work to adhere to court standards, essentially profiting from her own error and lack of legal knowledge. Ms. Janovic also seemed confused about the Michigan laws governing parenting coordinators, along with the specific contract that enshrined the terms of her appointment. She had to reach out to the court for clarification on the Michigan law governing parenting coordinator appointments, for which she also billed the parties even though I had previously emailed her the relevant statutory and contract provisions. Furthermore, her act of contacting the judicial attorney was itself improper and ultimately fruitless, as court employees are forbidden from offering legal advice.
Ultimately, after I described these episodes and other conduct that I found objectionable, the judge removed Ms. Janovic as parenting coordinator and the mediator of record on my case. Since then, our case has run much more smoothly, with less conflict and fewer costs. I would advise anyone seeking legal services in the area of family law to avoid Ms. Janovic. read more
