Elisabeth M. Edwards is a founding attorney at Wanzer Edwards, PC where she practices in the areas of family law and divorce, including collaborative law, family mediation and arbitration, and parenting coordination. Elisabeth is also frequently appointed as a Guardian ad litem.
Ms. Edwards completed her undergraduate degree at Hanover College, majoring in English. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Ms. Edwards’s professional career involvements include serving as the President of the Board of Directors of the Protective Order Pro Bono Project of Greater Indianapolis, Inc. until she assisted with its merger into the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence in 2007. Ms. Edwards has been recognized as a 2008 Up and Coming Lawyer in the “Leadership in the Law” special edition of the Indiana Lawyer, and as a Rising Star by SuperLawyers Magazine from 2010-2016 and as a SuperLawyer from 2018-Present.
Ms. Edwards is a member of the Indianapolis Bar (“IndyBar”) Association, and the Family Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections. She served as the Chair of the Family Law Section in 2020. She also graduated from the 2007 IndyBar Bar Leader Series, Class IV, and served on the Bar Leader Series Steering Committee until 2011. She has served as an at-large member of the IndyBar Association Board of Directors, and on various committees of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation. Her professional memberships also include the Family and Juvenile Law Divisions of the Indiana State Bar Association, the Hendricks County Bar Association (“HCBA”), the Indiana Chapter of the Association of Family & Conciliation Courts (“AFCC”), and the Indiana Association of Mediators. She served as Vice-President of the HCBA in 2015 and served as President in 2016. Ms. Edwards served on the Board of the Central Indiana Association of Collaborative Professionals from 2011-2020, serving as Treasurer from 2011-2015, Vice President from 2015-2017, and President from 2017-2019. She hopes to make Collaborative Law a top choice among divorcing parents in central Indiana.
More recently, Ms. Edwards served as the Chair of the IndyBar Destination CLE in November 2022 and was honored to serve as President of the IndyBar Foundation Board in 2023. Ms. Edwards also completed Co-Parenting Specialist Training with Mosten Guthrie Academy in May 2022 and is committed to using skills learned in this training in her Parenting Coordination and general family law practice.
Ms. Edwards is a frequent speaker and writer in the legal field. She has appeared on Fox 59 news and on WIBC’s radio program, “Pete the Planner” to discuss family law issues. She and co-founder of Wanzer Edwards, Holly Wanzer, have co-authored numerous articles for the Indiana Lawyer, the IndyBar Association and Foundation website, the IndyBar Record, as well as the WE Law monthly blog. Additionally, Ms. Edwards has authored or co-authored numerous seminars for ICLEF, IndyBar, Hendricks County Bar Association, National Business Institute, Julian Center, Heartland Pro Bono Council and Execsense. Elisabeth most recently has helped train new Parenting Coordinators for the IndyBar Association in 2023, and is working on advanced Parenting Coordinator programming in 2025.
Ms. Edwards has served since 2014 on the Board for the Housing Corporation of the Hanover College Chi Omega Fraternity and currently serves as Secretary. She also served on the Hanover College Alumni Leadership Council from 2015-2021, serving as President in 2019-2020. She continues to serve Hanover on other alumni committees, as needed. Ms. Edwards also served as Secretary to the Board of Directors for the Avon Junior Athletic Association from 2015-2020.
In her spare time, Elisabeth is an avid reader, book club member and enjoys singing – whether in a virtual choir or karaoke — weight training, yoga, dogs, as well as spending time with her family.
Posts
Trust me, it’s not like the People’s Court . . .
Divorce and child-related issues are difficult and emotional. You and your previous partner are no longer a couple, and maybe that’s a shock to you. What’s happening to you feels so unfair, and so out of your control. You didn’t want this, and you don’t agree with it. You have (hopefully!) retained an excellent family law attorney who is giving you the best legal advice, and specifically what he or she thinks could happen if you go to court. Their job is to tell you what your best day in court looks like, what your worst day in court looks [...]
Fuhgeddaboudit: Except for Parenting Time
Most parents are well-informed when it comes to the BIG holidays and school breaks, such as birthdays, Christmas/Winter Break, and summer. But sometimes “lesser” holidays that are designated in the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines (“IPTG”) can sneak up on you, especially if your children get a 3-day weekend and you would normally have to work. For example, President’s Day. This is an entire weekend per the IPTG, not just the day. What happens if the weekend comes and goes, and you didn’t realize it? First, let’s check the language of the IPTG. The guidelines provide that: Parenting time is both [...]
What is Contempt?
According to Black's Law Dictionary, contempt is “the act of intentionally disregarding the authority of a court or legislative body. It can also be defined as any action that hinders or obstructs the administration of justice.” We have all seen Court TV when someone in the courtroom screams at a judge or attempts to physically harm a witness. Yes, that’s certainly contempt. But what is contempt in your average family law case? For a court to find someone in contempt, there must be a court order that provides a clear instruction to do or NOT do something. For example: Margo [...]
I Need a Decision… Like… Immediately
If you already have a case filed in an Indianapolis area court, you know that sometimes actually getting into court can be difficult. Courts resources are strained and many times, there are simply not enough judges or magistrates to hear cases as quickly as they would like. To add even more stress, the issues that can’t be resolved between parties may be time sensitive, such as school choice or a medical decision for a child. Learning that you cannot get a hearing on a school choice issue until after the new school year has begun can be disheartening. What can [...]
Please Pass the Salt, and Let’s Settle this Divorce
You and your spouse may be considering or even already in the midst of a divorce. Your spouse thinks you two can sit down together and work out a deal yourselves, a/k/a, “kitchen table” negotiation. Is this a smart move? There are numerous pros AND cons to doing a kitchen table deal. Here are some things to consider: Money: You will certainly save money on attorney fees if you can work out a deal between yourselves. However, you may not know everything you would need to include in your agreement to cover your unique family and household circumstances. While some [...]
Don’t Be an Idiot: Crafting a Comprehensive Parenting Plan
1. Clear and Concise Language: The cornerstone of any good parenting plan is clear and concise language. Avoid unnecessary legal jargon and replace it with straightforward terms that can be easily understood by all parties. If your attorney understands the paragraph but you don’t, have your attorney change the language so that you can understand it. You may know exactly what everyone was intending at the time, but once the divorce is over and time passes, if it’s unclear, the plan is likely to cause disputes when you and your co-parent read a paragraph differently. A well-drafted plan leaves no [...]
