Melinda Eitzen, Vicki James and Scott Clarke have extensive experience helping couples end their marriages using the collaborative divorce process. Melinda Eitzen has been practicing family law since 1994 and has been doing collaborative divorces since they came to Texas in 2001. Scott Clarke has been helping couples with their collaborative divorces since 2003. Vicki James has been working on collaborative divorces for about four years. All three authors live in Dallas. Melinda Eitzen's father is a beloved retired judge in Dallas County named Merrill Hartman, who served on the bench for 22 years. The super courtroom in the Dallas County Courthouse -- the Merrill Hartman Courtroom -- is named after Eitzen's father, whose name is carved in the marble outside the courtroom. The courtroom is used for special events and for large trials that require a bigger forum or that are expected to generate a lot of media attention. Melinda has been married 20 years. She has two teenage boys and enjoys sailing, reading and ballroom dancing. Scott Clarke has been married for 18 years and has three children, 12 years of age and younger. He enjoys racing in triathlons, running, and reading----but what he enjoys most is being at home with his wife and kids. Vicki James enjoys being with her family and friends when she is not working. She has a wonderful grandson and tries to spend as much time as possible with him.