Providing Divorce Mediation Services Throughout California
Providing Divorce Mediation Services Throughout California

Dina Haddad, Esq.

Founder of Families First Mediation - Dina Haddad

Dina Haddad, Esq.

Principal & Founder Attorney-Mediator

Phone Number:

(408)-357-3486

Address:

1702 Meridian Ave Unit L260, San Jose, CA 95125, United States.

Website:

Families First Mediation

Dina is the founder and principal of Families First Mediation. 

As an attorney-mediator, Dina’s mission is to make A-class services available throughout California to clients at a fraction of the cost of traditional divorce options.

She has practised family law at some of the most prestigious law firms in Southern and Northern California. 

Dina Haddad facilitates communication and negotiation between couples to reach fair agreements, reducing stress, time, and cost compared to traditional divorce litigation.

She is known for her ability to manage high-conflict and high-asset cases and help them reach a speedy but high-quality resolution. She is focused not only on helping the parties today, but creating a plan for their futures.

She completed her post-doctorate law degree in mediation from the premier Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. For more than 9 consecutive years, Straus was ranked the number one dispute resolution program by U.S. News and World Report. Straus received this honor again for 2018. Very few mediators, particularly in family law, have this unique training.

Dina provides all purpose settlement conferences for parties and attorneys needing an alternative option to expensive divorce litigation. She has a very streamlined and accessible process, giving hope to those lost in the divorce litigation battle.

Dina Haddad combines her legal expertise with compassionate mediation techniques, using an educational approach to level the playing field between the spouses. This allows parties to be empowered to mediate quality solutions for themselves and their family. Dina is focused on high-quality mediation services.

Dina sat as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Personal Property Arbitration in Santa Clara County and is a family law mediator for the Agency for Dispute Resolution (ADR), a premier provider of private dispute resolution services with a selective panel of neutrals. 

She frequently publishes about divorce and mediation. You can find those articles at Families First Mediation and The Complete Divorce

Ms. Haddad is a proud mother of four children and happily married to her husband, who is a marriage and family therapist, specializing in sex addiction recovery, trauma and marriage counseling.

Educational Background

  • Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution–Master’s in Law.
  • Pepperdine Caruso School of Law–Master’s degree in law with a concentration in mediation (ADR), 2010.
  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law–Juris Doctor (J.D.).
  • University of California, Los Angeles– Bachelor of Arts, political science and Near Eastern studies, 2002.

Practice Areas

As a mediator-attorney, Dina, specializes in the following areas of family law mediation:

  • Divorce/Mediation
  • Spousal Support/Alimony
  • Spousal support modification
  • Child Custody & Support
  • Child Support Modification
  • Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements
  • Uncontested Divorce
  • Legal Separation
  • Marital Property
  • Collaborative Law
  • Faith-Based/Christian Divorce

Roles

Awards & Achievements

  • Selected to Super Lawyers 2025.
  • Marquis Who’s Who: 2025 Innovative Leader in Family Law Mediation.
  • Rated by Expertise.com as Best Divorce Lawyer Beverly Hills – 2025.
  • 2025 10 Best Attorney by American Institute of Family Law Attorneys.
  • American Jurisprudence Award for Wills & Trusts, & Trial Advocacy.
  • “Very Good” rating at Avvo

Voluntary Work

  • Volunteer as a Settlement Officer, Santa Clara County Family Law Court. 

Professional Associations & Affiliations

Publications & Speaking Engagements

Publications 

Media Appearances 

  • “Fundamentals Of Divorce,” Law and You, February 27, 2011.
  • “Using Mediation in Family Law,” Law and You, March 6, 2011.
  • “Signs a Relation is in Trouble and What to Do!” Part I, Law and You, June 19, 2011.
  • “Signs a Relation is in Trouble and What to Do!” Part II, Law and You, June 26, 2011. 

Monthly Newsletters 

  • September 2014: Child Exploitation Gets an Overhaul in California.
  • June 2014: Are the Divorce Stats Wrong? Hope for Your Marriage.
  • April 2014: Be Happy! Get a Divorce?
  • March 2014: Better Times. More Divorces
Lynn
Lynn
Verified
"Dina Haddad and Families First made a difficult process so much easier for us. For families with complex situations, Dina is the perfect choice..."
Steven
Steven
Verified
"Very good experience. Dina knows how to get everyone on the same page while keeping both parties on friendly terms..........."
John
John
Verified
"We like the way Dina Haddad and Families First Mediation made the well-being of our kids their top priority. They guided us through......."
Veronica
Veronica
Verified
"As much as you can love going through mediation and divorce, Dina H. is the one to help you come to a positive outcome. She has good......"
Andres
Andres
Verified
“Divorce is never something you plan for and the complexity and legality of it is something most couples don’t know, understand or inquire about..."
Araceli
Araceli
Verified
"I highly recommend Dina and Deborah at Families First Mediation. Dina is awesome she helped guide us from beginning to the end through...."
David
David
Verified
"Dina is very knowledgeable both in terms of the divorce laws and accounting. She is a great listener and amazing in finding a solution...."
Dolores
Dolores
Verified
"Families First really helped make a difficult process seamless and helped us keep our friendship intact. Thanks to Dina and Deborah, we were able ...."
Matt
Matt
Verified
"Dina and Deborah helped us maintain our MSA, even years later, with the same kindness and professionalism as the first time we all..."
Sharon
Sharon
Verified
"I highly recommend Families First Mediation if you and your spouse are thinking about going separate ways. Dina and team are friendly, easy to work with, thorough, and responsive....."
Carla
Carla
Verified
"While this process can be full of emotion and never easy, Dina showed excellent professionalism and compassion during ....."
Jonathan
Jonathan
Verified
"For anyone out there navigating the legal complexities and emotional fallout of a divorce with children involved, I’d recommend Dina...."
Annie
Annie
Verified
"The transition out of marriage has been difficult and emotional. Dina has shown excellent professionalism throughout the process......"

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