Last summer I blogged about Bravo’s divorce mediation tv show Untying the Knot, that follows New Jersey mediator Vikki Ziegler (a Quinnipiac law grad – go Bobcats!) as she assists couples in the divorce process. Even though it really is an Early Neutral Evaluation show, it’s a great classroom tool, which I intend to use for some time. I just learned that the show has been picked up for another season, and I’m excited to watch it again – for research purposes, of course. Here’s the recent press release:
Bravo is thrilled to announce Untying the Knot will return for Season 2. The show, starring divorce attorney and mediator Vikki Ziegler, chronicles her travels around the country using her particular brand of honest, empathetic, and to-the-point communication as couples “divorce with integrity.”
Why let a judge decide your fate when this “divorce diva” can cut through all the drama to determine who gets what?
There are big changes coming for the next season, too: the show expands to a 60-minute format as Vikki helps struggling couples divvy up their belongings, which can range from dazzling diamonds to family pets. Also returning for the second season are expert appraisers Michael and Mark Millea, who evaluate and appraise the items that are in contention so Vikki can help couples determine a fair, equitable division of assets.
I feel that using a popular television show as an mediation teaching tool is a great idea. The process of divorce can become extremely messy and often times even more complex issues become apparent when the soon to be divorced couple has a great deal of wealth. Viewing this show in the classroom will give you the ability to illustrate very difficult points within the divorce mediation process that can be difficult to grasp by only using the cases in the book.
Also I think this will allow the students to be more engaged in the class as well as in the topic of ADR, specifically mediation. Some of the reality television shows give all reality television a bad name. Its great to find out that there is a reality television show that not only helps couples have a fair and amicable divorce but also can be an asset to a law school class and can supplement the teaching of a somewhat difficult subject.