Breden was summoned to family court by his high conflict co-parent on a custody modification motion. Her claims about him were not true. Here is how he and his attorney defended his custody arrangement, and the part our team played alongside the legal work.
He had an attorney. He hired us, separately, to review and organize his evidence. Our trained coaching team handles the documentary preparation and the behavioral regulation alongside. Neither role replaces the other. They run in parallel.
“After being summoned to appear in court by my high-conflict co-parent, I engaged Michelle’s team to compile OFW, email, and text messages and prepare a factual statement for the courts. This comprehensive document clearly demonstrated the pattern of high-conflict behavior which I was able to use to support my defense.” Breden · Ohio
The situation
Breden was the responding party. His co-parent filed a custody modification motion that included false claims about him, not at the level of domestic violence allegations, but serious enough to threaten the custody arrangement that was working for the children. What Breden hired us for was clear and contained: review the existing communication record between him and his co-parent, organize it, and prepare a factual statement he could use to support his defense.
Our role, plainly stated
We organize months or years of contemporaneous written communication (OurFamilyWizard, email, text, school and medical records), distill it into a clean factual record, and help the client stay regulated through a stressful litigation timeline. Coach Michelle is a California-licensed attorney with 20+ years of litigation experience, but in this coaching practice we do not practice family law and we do not act as your legal counsel. We do not draft pleadings nor file motions. We hand finished documentary material to our clients who turn it over to their attorney, who decides what to do with it.
What we actually did
Breden provided us with his OurFamilyWizard messages, his email history, and his text-message record with his co-parent across the relevant time period. We read every exchange. Then we distilled the record into a focused factual statement that demonstrated a pattern of high conflict behavior in his co-parent’s own words. The narrative was not Breden’s interpretation of his co-parent. It was a curated reading of the messages she had actually sent.
Why this approach works
High conflict family-law cases often come down to which parent looks more reasonable to the court, and which one is putting the needs of the kids first, while keeping them away from conflict. When the documentary record speaks for itself, the pattern does not require the parent to testify about their co-parent’s behavior. The court reads what the parents actually wrote, in their own words, over a period of time. That is meaningfully more persuasive than either parent’s narrative at a hearing, and it removes the “he-said-she-said” frame the court often has to navigate.
The outcome
His co-parent’s custody modification motion was denied. The existing custody arrangement was preserved. Breden’s attorney handled the courtroom and the legal filings. The documentation our team prepared became part of the record his attorney was able to use as the foundation for his case.
Is this the right fit for you?
Documentary preparation and behavioral coaching alongside an attorney works best when you are facing an active filing (a custody modification motion, a contempt motion, a move-away dispute, or similar), the case involves a high conflict co-parent with a pattern of escalating behavior, and you have a parenting-app or written-communication history to draw on. Your attorney runs the legal strategy. We provide the documentary preparation and the behavioral regulation that runs in parallel.
The service Breden hired was our Litigation Coaching, specifically the documentary review and factual statement piece. We also offer SAFE™ Ghostwriting (your communication partner inside your co-parenting app). The two services are separate, and either or both can be the right fit depending on what you’re experiencing in your co-parenting relationship. We will tell you honestly whether this kind of support fits where your co-parenting relationship is right now, or whether another service is the better next step.
We work inside OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, AppClose, and email. Bilingual service in English and Spanish is available.
Book a free 20-minute discovery call
We will tell you honestly whether this kind of support fits where your case is right now, or whether another service is the better next step.
Frequently asked about documentation and custody defense
What records do you read and organize for an active custody filing?
How do I establish a pattern of high conflict behavior from my co-parent?
What should I bring to a custody modification hearing?
How long should I keep our co-parenting app history?
Can a coach prepare a factual statement for the court?
Coach Michelle does not practice family law and is not a licensed mental health provider. Coaching services are psychoeducational in nature and are not therapy or legal advice. The factual statement work described above was prepared for the client to use with his attorney; our team does not file or argue documents with the court. Breden’s testimonial is used with his permission and reflects his personal experience. “Breden” is a pseudonym used to protect the client’s identity. Individual results vary.
Michelle Mitchell, J.D.
California attorney with 20+ years of litigation experience, New Ways for Families® Certified Instructor, Certified HCDP™ Coach (trained by Brook Olsen), AFCC-trained Parent Coordinator, and Martha Beck Certified Wayfinder Coach. Founder of High Conflict Resolutions, LLC.