Susan Yates is the Executive Director of Resolution Systems Institute. The Institute’s mission is the improvement in the effectiveness of court-related alternative dispute resolution methods. In March 2015, she discussed for Mediate.com the Family Law Arbitration Act currently being drafted by the Uniform Law Commission (ULC). In her article, Ms. Yates stated:

This is not the first look at arbitration in the family law setting. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers drafted a Model Family Law Arbitration Act in 2005 and provides a list of arbitrators who have met their requirements. North Carolina has arguably the most comprehensive family law arbitration statutory scheme in the country, with other jurisdictions, such as Indiana and Michigan also providing for family law arbitration through statute.

Lynn Burleson is a Tharrington Smith Family Law attorney, American Academy of Matrimonial Law (AAML) Fellow and AAML-trained arbitrator. He is currently chair of the national AAML Arbitration Committee and organizer and faculty member of the national AAML Matrimonial Law Arbitration Institute. He chaired the North Carolina Bar Association Committee that drafted North Carolina’s Statute and chaired the AAML Arbitration Committee that drafted the 2005 AAML Model Family Law Arbitration Act. He is an Observer-Member of the ULC Family Law Arbitration Act Drafting Committee. His work on family law arbitration statutes has been a resource for the Uniform Laws Commission and for a number of states that have adopted or are in the process of adopting arbitration statutes for their citizens.

Tharrington Smith’s Family Law Section is comprised of ten experienced and skilled divorce lawyers. Dedicated to both client service and the improvement of family law in North Carolina, the firm’s lawyers frequently contribute selflessly of their time and energies to professional organizations and activities that work to improve the laws of North Carolina.