Holly Wanzer is a founding attorney of Wanzer Edwards, P.C. where she focuses her practice in family law, including collaborative divorce, family mediation, parenting coordination, appeals and representation of children as a guardian ad litem.
Ms. Wanzer earned her Juris Doctor summa cum laude from the Indiana University Robert McKinney School of Law. She graduated magna cum laude from Ball State University, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in English and advertising.
Ms. Wanzer was the founding President of the Board of Directors for the Central Indiana Association of Collaborative Professionals, which provides innovative alternatives to litigating divorce and family law matters, with an emphasis on co-parenting and resolving cases without court intervention. She has presented numerous seminars regarding collaborative law including a two-day basic training for attorneys, mental health practitioners and financial professionals in interdisciplinary collaborative law, an educational teleseminar on Collaborative law for the National Business Institute called “Collaborative Law in Family Law Disputes”, and seminars on the Collaborative family law process for the ICLEF Masters Series program and Indiana State Bar Association’s Solo & Small Firm Conference. She authored the book Introduction to Collaborative Divorce, released by James Publishing in 2014.
Ms. Wanzer is a registered family mediator and trained parenting coordinator providing services to families facing the changing circumstances which accompany dissolution of marriage, custody and parenting time modifications, child support modifications and paternity determinations. Her commitment to the private resolution of family issues, the preservation of positive working relationships within families, and her calm demeanor and sensitivity in the face of emotional challenges make her the ideal choice as a mediator or parenting coordinator for family law matters. Ms. Wanzer is a frequent speaker and presenter on issues involving mediation and mediator ethics.
Ms. Wanzer serves as a guardian ad litem representing the interests of children in courts across central Indiana. She passionately advocates for the best interests of children while at the same time seeking to shield them from the need to personally participate in the legal process.
Ms. Wanzer has been selected as a Super Lawyer by Superlawyers Magazine from 2017-2024. She serves on the Women in Law committee of the Indiana State Bar Association where she has coordinated the Lady Justice program with Girl Scouts of Central Indiana. She teaches bar review courses to recent graduates through the Indianapolis Bar Association Bar Review Course. Ms. Wanzer is a past president of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation which she continues to support as a Distinguished Fellow and Life Fellow. She volunteers her time as a Guardian ad Litem in the Marion County Superior courts and with the Marion County Modest Means Mediation program.
Posts
There is a Cure for the Summertime Blues . . .
Perhaps Summer 2022 will be the first summer for you and your co-parent to navigate. Or perhaps you and your co-parent had issues last year and you would love to have a peaceful, relaxing summer with your children this year. How can you avoid the “summertime blues” that can occur with planning the summer parenting time schedule? Start planning for it now! Here are some recommended steps to “beat the heat” this year: Consult your specific parenting time order. The order may already spell out how the summer break should be divided. If so, lay out the school break on [...]
You Can Be Right, or You Can Be Done
When clients are struggling with the emotional and financial toll of litigation, I tell them, “You can be right, or you can be done.” Sometimes, being done means reaching an agreement with their former spouse that may not include every single thing that was desired in a divorce settlement but means getting all of what’s really important. It means accepting a bit less than the ideal outcome. The truth is that asking the court to make a decision could result in an order that no one likes and everyone spends more money to get there. Resolving the case with a settlement agreement may mean taking less than the ideal solution but eliminates the risk that the solution determined by the court is far worse than what could have been negotiated.
We Want Prenup!
In 1920, the average woman would be married at 21 and men at 24. However, today's national average has increased to slightly below 28 for women and almost 30 for men. Waiting until nearly 30 for marriage means that both partners may be coming into the marriage with a significant work history and their own assets and debts. Marrying very young usually means that both bride and groom are starting out with nothing and both working to build a life together. But family businesses and expected inheritances can put a damper on even the most innocent of unions. Enter the premarital or prenuptial (sometimes also called an antenuptial) agreement.
Pitfalls of the Do-It-Yourself Divorce
Hiring an attorney can feel like an expensive endeavor. Many couples take advantage of the self-service forms available online to avoid what they see as the unnecessary expense of legal help. While this may work for some, the “check the box” forms cannot possibly fit all possible situations and may result in heartache, headache, and more expense later.
