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, Family Law Section, and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. 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. She is currently serving as IndyBar Foundation Immediate Past President. 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.
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, and yoga as well as spending time with her husband, son, and dog.
Posts
Sunshine and Smiles: Crafting a Summer Parenting Plan After Divorce
Ah, the sweet scent of sunscreen, the sound of laughter echoing in the backyard, and the promise of endless ice cream cones – summer is undoubtedly a magical time, enjoying the sun, no school for the kiddos, and fewer pressing obligations. If you're navigating the sunny world of co-parenting after a divorce, fear not! You can take steps to make your summer parenting time schedule more enjoyable for both you and your children. As most parenting plans incorporate the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines (“IPTG”), it’s common for most co-parents to agree that their children will spend equal time over the [...]
Not All Change is Substantial
Modifying a child’s custody is a big decision both for parents and for the court. When a child’s primary living situation is changed, it uproots the child’s daily routines and life. Since the law favors stability, the standard for changing custody is a bit different than the legal standard a court applies the first time it decides custody. In other words, it is harder to change what is already ordered than it was to get the first order. Indiana’s law instructs a court that it cannot change a child’s custody unless it finds that the change would be in the [...]
Keeping a Child at the Center Without Putting Her in the Middle
Parents typically try to keep their children out of the middle of their legal disputes. Sometimes it feels, however, that with Mom fighting for her position and Dad fighting for his position, no one is talking about what the child really needs. The good news is that there is a way to appoint a professional whose job it is to advocate solely for what is best for the child. That professional is called a Guardian Ad Litem. The job of a Guardian ad Litem (or GAL) is to be the legal advocate for a child. This generally takes a couple [...]
But that Account is in MY Name!
Imagine a cooking pot large enough to hold everything you own. Into that pot you will place every piece of property and every debt to be divided during your divorce regardless of whether the property and debt is in wife’s name, husband’s name or in joint names. This is the essence of Indiana’s legal “one pot” theory. The divorce process requires making a list of everything that you and your spouse own and everything that you owe. This list helps your attorney assess how you and your soon to be former spouse will become separate financial entities. While you will [...]
