Gretchen Walther has been a leading voice in New Mexico Family Law for over 20 years. An influential activist, Gretchen was instrumental in introducing New Mexico to new and effective settlement facilitation techniques, as well as to the basic tenets of Collaborative Divorce. Gretchen was chosen as an American Bar Association Advisor on the Uniform Collaborative Practice Act, participating in its drafting and facilitating its adoption as official rule in New Mexico in 2016. She has worked with the New Mexico legislature to enact better laws for New Mexico’s children and has been an active lecturer on Family Law topics nationally. Gretchen’s advocacy extends to making sure the emotional component of divorce is recognized and respected during the divorce process. Emotion can disrupt reasoning and decision making and Gretchen has developed both theory and practice to enable lawyers to more effectively mediate between emotional clients and a legal system with a lack of tolerance for what they are experiencing. Gretchen is author of Power Imbalances in Divorce Mediation, a definitive source for attorneys seeking to understand the potential pitfalls of mediated settlements. She has had cases cited by the federal courts, including Navani v. Shahani, a landmark Hague Convention case. She is Past President and co-founder of the New Mexico Collaborative Practice Group, Past President of the Albuquerque Bar Association and Former Chair of the State Bar of New Mexico Family Law Section. She is a tireless researcher and champion of effective dispute resolution. In October of 2017, Gretchen was qualified as an Expert Witness in the area of Collaborative Divorce by Judge Gerard Lavelle in the 2nd Judicial District court of New Mexico, after testifying at a trial seeking the removal of collaborative counsel from the subsequently litigated case. A New Mexico Board Recognized Family Law Specialist, Gretchen heads up Walther Family Law, with offices in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico.