Mediation & Paralegal services is the place to start. You can lawyer up later if you must.

Family Matters Mediation is the best place to start.

I offer a free consultation, either to both parties together or to either party individually. I listen to your individual concerns and wishes and provide suggestions how to resolve your issues fairly and in the best interests of the kids within California Guidelines. If you are considering mediation or attorneys, start with mediation! You have nothing to lose. If mediation doesn’t work, attorneys can pick up where you left off. If mediation does work, you will reduce cost, stress, and time.

The mediation process is an opportunity to re-establish communication, cooperation & compromise.

When Divorce Attorneys represent parties, they do the communicating.

Now Consider the substantial cost difference Between Mediation or Attorneys:

Two Divorce Attorneys at $350-$500 each per hour = $700-$1000 an hour!
One Divorce Mediator at $200 an hour.

Who prepares the legal documents? Even if you use an attorney, your legal documents are prepared and submitted by the attorney’s paralegal at a much higher rate than what I charge. Check Family Matters Fee Schedule for Judicial Forms rates. The money you can save is much better spent on your kids.

How can Divorce Mediators secure fairness & minimize lingering resentments?

In Divorce Mediation, feelings like anger, mistrust, feeling bullied or misunderstood will be addressed. This enables parties to create a new, resentment-free co-parenting relationship, divide their assets and debts fairly, and arrive at child support, spousal support, and custody agreements that work for everybody with California Guidelines as the reference point.

You will have a court-enforceable Divorce Decree without having to go to court, and without the conflict and costs of retaining attorneys. If you want, you can hire an attorney to review your agreement before signing it at a fraction of the cost of a retainer.

The agreements you make in mediation will be summarized in a Marital Settlement Agreement. It should be durable, forward-thinking, and resolve lingering resentments. And I will address all of your individual concerns and preferences beyond what’s legally required. 

That’s how we want our families to move forward….

Regardless of the conflict or complexity, give mediation a chance and call me for information regarding your specific case.