Natalie Alane
Natalie Alane believes that many people endure the traditional judical process simply because no better option is made available to them. Natalie strives to help her clients reach resolutions to their problems in ways that help the clients emerge in one piece and with a bright future. Natalie passionately offers her services as a collaborative attorney or as a neutral mediator to those facing divorce, separation, or other difficult family issues. She is convinced that when given the choice between a potentially long, destructive court battle and a private, people-centered opportunity to control one's own future, most people will choose the latter. When clients are in emotional turmoil facing some of the most difficult decisions of their lives, Natalie can help them see and focus on the long-term, family-friendly benefits of respectful dispute resolution.
Natalie brings a wealth of legal and personal experience to Alane & Chartier, where she specializes in appellate law, family law, mediation, and collaborative practice. Before founding Alane & Chartier with business partner Mary Chartier, Natalie served as a staff attorney to Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael F. Cavanagh and Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Stephen L. Borrello and worked as a Prehearing Attorney in the Michigan Court of Appeals Research Division. Natalie also clerked at one of Lansing’s premier plaintiff firms and and ran her own independent contracting business providing legal research and writing services to area attorneys.
In law school, Natalie excelled academically, earning an honors scholarship, graduating magna cum laude, and receiving numerous awards. Natalie was named Outstanding Woman Law Student by the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and was one of only two recipients of the Distinguished Student Award in her graduating class. Natalie served as the Articles Editor on the Thomas M. Cooley Law Review Board, was the President of the Women’s Law Alliance, and received eleven certificates of merit in her coursework. Natalie was also a national moot court champion, competing in three national and two local competitions and winning best advocate awards four times.
After graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts at Central Michigan University, Natalie attended graduate school at the University of Kentucky and served in the Peace Corps in Zambia, Africa. She was the Chief Operating Officer of an entrepreneurial technology company, which she oversaw during the commissioning and implementation of Internet service provider software.
Along with running Alane & Chartier, Natalie teaches Advanced Legal Research and Writing at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She has also taught Scholarly Writing and Moot Court and has served on the Council of the National Women’s Law Alliance. Natalie is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Ingham County Bar Association, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She has presented to the Institute of Continuing Legal Education on the issues of Child Custody, Parenting Time, Child Support, and Spousal Support. Natalie currently serves as the President of the Lansing Area Collaborative Practice Group and sits on the boards of the Capitol Area Child and Family Services and the Collaborative Practice Institute of Michigan.
