As a law student at Chase in the 1970s I clerked for Judge Paul George, the sole Hamilton County Domestic Relations judge. Upon graduation I practiced in a small firm. Though I had a general practice, my practice focused and drifted to a high concentration of family law. Over the course of my career, I have seen the Family Law legal community adapt in three significant ways. 
Alternative Dispute Resolution 
Years ago a new client would ask “Can you take on Billy Tough Guy?” Now a new client most often says, “I don’t want an ugly, expensive divorce.” Fifty years ago few clients had an awareness of the divorce process. Today many clients seek out lawyers who have experience and education in Alternative Dispute Resolution. 
Alternative Dispute Resolution is the most significant change from the client perspective. Cincinnati lawyers have every right to be proud of establishing the nation’s first collaborative law process under the leadership of Bea Larsen in the 1990s. Collaborative law helps couples end their marriage without litigation and with a less adversarial path forward. Similar to mediation, collaborative law is self-interest based negotiation. Though each party has a lawyer, each spouse takes responsibility for shaping the settlement as key members of the team. Fifty years ago the lawyers held much more power and clout than the client. 
Lawyers must be trained in the collaborative law process, and are mentored at the beginning. The effect of this change from 50 years ago is that collaboratively trained attorneys negotiate from self-interest in nearly every form of adversarial action. Today’s lawyers in this practice are also more civil. They communicate better and trust one another.    
The Domestic Relations Law Practice Reflects Society’s Changes
In the beginning of my career the law did not provide for shared parenting. Today, shared parenting is the norm. The starting point is, “Shared parenting, why not?” Shared parenting reflects the changes in society’s gender roles. Today 75% of Ohio mothers with minor children participate in the labor force. In Ohio approximately 70% of married couples with minor children have both parents working in the labor force¹. 
This enormous change required the state of Ohio to change not only the State’s parenting laws, but also its child support guidelines to reflect two income parents. The off-setting incomes have modified the child support payable from one parent to the other. Previously only one parent was designated the payor, and there was an inequitable distribution of income without reflecting the shared expenses of both parents. 
Another big change is the percentage of women as practitioners and judges. When I first started practicing law, women were making introductory strides in representation. Today women constitute a large majority of the family relations law practitioners. As an example, eight of the nine speakers at April’s Domestic Relations Institute were women. Forty-seven years ago, there would have been one or no women speakers. Another example: There are seven domestic relations judges in the four counties of southwest Ohio. Six of the seven are women. 
Today, approximately 50% of pre- and post-decree cases are pro se, and the percentage is growing. Fifty years ago, virtually no cases were pro se. Among the effects are an increased workload on the court system, the need for more court mediation services for the parties, and the need for more lawyers to volunteer in court-established law clinics. Another effect is that pro se decrees and orders often do not reflect the law’s equitable division of assets and parents’ rights.    
Use of Outside Professionals
Fifty years ago, the Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court had a small counseling department. Today, almost every domestic relations court in the state has a dispute resolution department. The department provides a child-focused dispute resolution process and parenting services for families with pre-and post-decree problems. Parents may utilize parenting and financial mediation, financial and parenting mental health evaluations, and parenting education. Today, almost all parenting disputes end in settlement.
When I was admitted to the bar, professionals such as appraisers or parenting experts were seldomly used by the parties. Today lawyers retain or the court appoints appraisers, CPAs, financial relations specialists, Guardian Ad Litems, and parenting coordinators. In the collaborative law process, the parties agree on independent outside professionals, which has facilitated settlement and reduced costs.
In summary, these changes highlight the legal communities’ adjustment to change and commitment to families in a time of episodic acute stress.
1     U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 Employment Characteristics of Families Report

Ralph Ginocchio is an OSBA Certified Family Law Specialist.  He is a former chair of the Domestic Relations Committee of the CBA and former Chair of the Cincinnati Academy of Collaborative Professionals.  He has spent 44 years at Schimpf, Ginocchio, Kehres & Clark, LLC.