The mediation (of course), a Marital Settlement Agreement, additional court documents and forms, service of process, court filing, notarization. We try to provide everything you need to complete the divorce. All you have to do is participate in the mediation. We take care of everything else in the background.

There is a lot of flexibility in the process, but it typically works like this:

1. At our first meeting we outline a mediation plan for you and your spouse. And then we focus on coming to an agreement on all the issues.
2. I draft the Marital Settlement Agreement (MSA) as well as all of the court mandated forms and judgment documents. We meet one final time to sign and notarize the agreement and all the judgement forms.
3. I file everything with the court and we wait for the judge to review it and issue the final divorce judgment.

We provide all services for a flat-fee so you know the exact cost up front.

• If you have children, it will cost $3500,
• If you do not have children but have some property that needs dividing, the cost will be $3000,
• If you have no children and no property (or very little property), the cost will be $2500.

The court will also charge $435 to file the divorce case. If you also wanted to have a Qualified Domestic Relations Order to divide 401k or pension accounts, I can also provide that service for $500.

Yes. This is a major benefit of mediation. What you say and what you disclose in mediation cannot typically be presented as evidence in a later case. In addition, your mediator cannot divulge any information about the mediation process to the courts or third parties. During our first meeting confidentiality will be explained in greater detail.

California law mandates that divorce orders cannot not be finalized until 6 months after you serve your spouse the initial petition for divorce. However, this does not meant that the divorce process takes 6 months.

Once we have completed the mediation process, I file everything with the court.  A judge will review the packet shortly after filing and will make a final divorce order which will be effective automatically at the six month mark. 

You can then live your life as if you were divorced according to the Marital Settlement Agreement, but because six months has not passed you will not be able to remarry. When the six month mark does arrive, there is nothing that you have to do. The judge’s order will be finalized automatically and you will officially be divorced.

So even though the official date of divorce must take at least six months, all you have to do is complete the mediation process and there are no further requirements.

You don’t need an attorney to get a divorce. The majority of clients who participate in Divorce Mediation do not have attorneys.

However we invite participants of divorce mediation to consult attorneys if they need legal advice about the divorce or the Marital Settlement Agreement. You should also get an attorney if you need emergency support or emergency custody orders, or feel you need legal protection from your spouse.

Divorce Mediation is very effective for divorcing couples who are willing to avoid unnecessary conflict and expense that often accompany attorney driven litigation.

This scenario is surprisingly uncommon. Divorce mediation is highly effective. But if you cannot come to an agreement, you can choose to quit mediation.

There is no penalty, and confidentiality remains in place. Even if a divorcing couple cannot come to a complete agreement, they almost always agree on something. We will prepare an agreement for whatever has been agreed upon. This understanding narrows the amount of litigation required later on and will still save a lot of time and money.