The Melinda Eitzen Show RNCN

Melinda Eitzen Podcast with Lindsey Obenhaus(lobenhaus@gbafamilylaw.com )
About the Guest:Lindsey Obenhaus is a family law attorney that works at Goranson Bain Ausley. She serves onthe State Bar of Texas Technology Committee, American Academy of Matrimonial LawyersTechnology Committee, and chairs the Goranson Bain Ausley Technology Committee.Episode Summary:In this episode of The Melinda Eitzen Show our guest Lindsey helps us understand the newworld of A.I. Lindsey explains how Artificial Intelligence can help with family law practice.Lindsey also discusses the dangers and necessary precautions when using A.I.
Key Takeaways: There have been concerns that A.I. being used in law creates an issue with client-lawyerconfidentiality. This can be eased by excluding the name of the client and gettingapproval from the client before using it. A.I. can draft documents for lawyers making their life significantly easier. A.I. is not perfect and still needs the eyes of the lawyer to fix any issues that may arise. One of the issues of A.I. is that it can be used to edit evidence for cases and create photosthat are not real. A.I. can generate fake audio that can create the risk of false information in legal cases.
Notable Quotes: “A.I. is the ability of a computer to communicate in a way that is human like… and act ina way that a human would.” -Lindsey Obenhaus “It’s important to understand that A.I. is not a replacement for lawyers.” -LindseyObenhaus “A.I. can review words and create words.”-Lindsey Obenhaus “For now (to avoid trouble) do not use client names anywhere in A.I.” Lindsey Obenhaus “A.I. does not listen to you or hear your story…it does not replace the need formediation.” -Lindsey Obenhaus

Melinda Eitzen Podcast with Chris Farish.(chris@quaidfarish.com)
About the Guest:Chris Farish is a family lawyer that works at Quaid Farish Family Law Firm. He is the past president of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
Episode Summary:In this episode of The Melinda Eitzen Show Chris Farish uses his extensive experience in collaborative law to explain in detail what goes into the collaborative process. Chris also helps distinguish collaborative from mediation. Chris promotes collaborative law and talks about thebenefits of it over that of litigation.
Key Takeaways: Collaborative is recognized by the law as a formal way of getting divorce. Mediation can be used in collaborative to help get past impasses. In collaborative you will often have a financial expert and a neutral mental health professional involved. Attorneys can take on collaborative cases without training, but the training makes it easier for everyone involved to go through the process. There is basic training and advanced training classes available on collaborativedivorcetexas.com. The collaborative process is very flexible and can improve communication between clients.Notable Quotes: “Who wouldn’t want to take control and make decisions for how you are going to raise your children with the person that you are going to co-parent with rather than leaving it up to the system?” -Chris Farish “A lot of people like the process [collaborative] because it is so private.” -Melinda Eitzen “I really feel like you get more better information, much easier [in the collaborative process].” -Chris Farish

About the Guest:Barbara Neal is a licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, andlife coach.
Chad Collom is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with a PHD in nursing practice.Chad also has experience as a RN.
Episode Summary:In this episode of the Melinda Eitzen show, Melinda and her guests Barbara and Chad explorethe world of mental health. Medication is a major subject in this episode: Barbara and Chad aremental health professionals and will walk you through the ends and outs of mental healthmedications and how it can help those in need. Melinda also ties mental health with the FamilyLaw practice of divorce giving great insight into a stressful situation.

Melinda Eitzen Podcast with Adam Mundt
(amundt@mcclure-lawgroup.com) 
About the Guest: 
Adam Mundt is a lawyer (Certified Public Accountant) that works at McClure Law group. 
Episode Summary: 
In this episode of the Melinda Eitzen show, host Melinda and guest Adam talk about how to position yourself better financially before and during the divorce process. Melinda and Adam discuss the importance of considering the tax effect on various assets when considering a divorce settlement and highlight some financial issues to be aware of when divorcing. 
Key Takeaways: 
An exclusion will take money off the top on the sale of a house before taxes; up to $250,000 per person. A ROTH IRA is post-tax dollars. When paying out it has already been taxed.An IRA you are not taxed on, but it is taxed on the way out. If you make too much money you cannot open a ROTH IRA.Tracing experts track down whether property is shared or separate. Community property will be split between the two parties and separate property will not. Always keep your documents before, during, and after marriage because the burden of proof is on you to prove that property is separate. You should try and keep your assets in the same place so that it is easier to track. Keep in mind the value of items and whether it is worth paying a lawyer to fight for them. When dealing with a divorce it is important to contact a professional. 
Notable Quotes: 
“You, me, and Elon musk get at least $250,000 off the top of the gain (when selling your house) ….” [This is known as an “exclusion” when selling your house]. Adam Mundt“A dollar in my bank account is not the same as a dollar in my retirement account… unless it’s a ROTH.” Melinda Eitzen“You never want to be pin pales with the IRS.” Adam Mundt“We like to find that something (property) is separate, because it goes 100% to the person that proves that it’s theirs.” Melinda Eitzen“Whenever we have experts that are tracing (money or assets) … the less movements that you have the easier it is to trace… in that case less is more.” Adam Mundt“Is the juice worth the squeeze? … how much is it going to cost to do the basic work to trace or prove facts at the courthouse?” Adam MundtNew boost

Melinda Eitzen Podcast with David Gair(david.gair@lockelord.com)
David Gair is an expert tax lawyer from Locke Lord, specializing in tax-focused law practice with an emphasis on tax controversy work.
In this informative episode of the Melinda Eitzen Show, host Melinda brings on tax law expert David Gair to demystify often overwhelming tax disputes and litigation. The conversation starts with David throwing light on the nuances of tax controversy work and its scope, offering the audience a detailed insight into the processes of resolving disputes with the IRS.
David and Melinda delve into various aspects of tax law, highlighting the criticality of proactively addressing IRS concerns, innocent spouse relief, and the implications of tax shelters. David’s pragmatic advice underscores the episode with actionable tips on how businesses can safeguard against common tax pitfalls, particularly relating to payroll taxes.

“The Finale”--https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10938608/
Purchase/Rent on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C9RVHQGL/ref=pv_ag_gcf?cmp=rt_where_to_watch&tag=rottetomao-20
Melinda’s three guests on The Melinda Eitzen Show this week talk about their horror movie, “The Finale”. They discuss how it was spawned from a simple idea set at a musical theater camp, which evolved into a script, and finally how they teamed up to produce and star in the film together. The group expounds on “The Finale” as well as other horror films, commenting that this particular genre is a great way to introduce other themes, such as talking about social ills, while still creating something entertaining and fun that’s reminiscent of the horror flicks they grew up watching in the ‘70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Speaking of what they referred to as “the football bouncing around”, they recount the rewards and challenges of so many people collaborating on a project, and how theirs evolved and was completed after so many talented artists touched it, and brought their skills to the final cut of “The Finale”.
Fun facts regarding the filming of “The Finale” starring Gabriel Reyes and Madison Calhoun: all of the talent in the film are from the Dallas Fort Worth area, and it features Dallas locations such as the Kalita Humphreys Theater, The Garden Café, Honeycut Farms, and Theater 3. Michael Federico described the film by saying, “It’s a love letter to DFW”!  Melinda and all of the guests on the show encourage you to support local arts, and send big thanks to Joel Ferrell of Dallas Theater Center.  For more about all things horror films, check out their ‘Terror and Tacos” podcast. Find “The Finale” on Apple streaming, Amazon and Vudu. Thank you to everyone in DFW who were so generous in helping make the movie.