Divorce Mediation in Contra Costa County | Affordable & Effective

Divorce is stressful enough. Work with top divorce mediators Dina & Samira to take control of your case in Contra Costa County, Ca offering the most comprehensive divorce mediation services.

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What is Divorce Mediation in Contra Costa County?

Divorce mediation is an alternative dispute resolution method to obtain a divorce in Contra Costa County without stepping into court. Contra Costa County celebrity couples, over the years, have used this method to get a divorce because it has kept their matter private and confidential. Private and confidential? Yes, it is the best feature, as mediation sessions are not recorded. While traditional court divorce proceedings are recorded and become part of the public. Mediators are neutral professionals who assist the spouses in resolving all matters in their divorce. Attorney mediators are very comfortable with providing calculations like support calculations, and asset buyouts, and may even be able to assist you with more complicated matters like employee stock benefits (RSUs, PSUs, Stock Options, and ESPP).
Divorce mediators facilitate the negotiation for Property Division, Separate Property claims, Shared Debts and Liabilities, Child custody, Child Support, Spousal support, Future support modification, and much more.

Mediated Divorces are also cost-effective. In general, mediation takes less time to settle for any other divorcing option for Contra Costa County married couples.
If you are considering mediation, consider Families First Mediation mediators, who have vast experience in Contra Costa County divorce mediation and family law. They believe that a successful mediated divorce results in a quality, long-lasting agreement. They offer a free initial consultation, which they use to get to know you and your concerns and provide you with a plan for your divorce success.

This blog discusses mediation, the five stages of divorce mediation, and commonly asked questions about the mediated settlement.

The 5 Stages of Divorce Mediation in Contra Costa County | Step-by-Step Guide for Bay Area Couples

You can only win at mediation with a good and professional mediator. Choosing an impartial, affordable, experienced, and compassionate mediator is important. Here are five important qualities to check for when interviewing a divorce mediator:

1. Mediation Process and Laying the Foundation

The introductory stage sets the foundation of the entire mediation process. In this stage, the mediator may talk about the basics of mediation: the mediator’s role and how spouses should behave in the entire mediation to make it successful. A mediator may introduce you to the length of each session, payment methods, and agendas if you have not done an initial meeting with a mediator. A skilled mediator usually takes questions (from the spouses regarding their problems). At stage 1, a mediator can ask couples the following questions.

• Do you have children?
• What assets do you have?
• How long have you been married?
• Are there other issues you want to discuss?
• What are your individual goals for the mediation?
• Have you and your spouses been involved in domestic violence?
• What is the age of your children, and what are their needs?
• Are you both couples willing to cooperate to settle?
• Much of this is covered in the Free Consultation at Families First Mediation

2. Listing Assets and Gathering Information

It is the discovery stage. In this stage, the mediator collects the relevant facts and gathers information regarding financials because verifiable and accurate information results in a productive mediation. At Families First Mediation, we use our proprietary method in collecting information to reduce your overall costs and fees and provide the Mediator with what she needs to assist you.

For financials, the mediator will need evidence of your income. This will include your last pay stubs or W-2s; and if you are self-employed a Schedule C or profit and loss statement. For asset disclosures, the mediator will need recent statements for bank accounts, retirements, and brokerage accounts. You will also want to provide documents that support any of your separate property claims. The mediator will continue to guide the spouses on what each party needs to provide to complete the disclosure requirements or to help with the negotiations. For example, you may need to provide documents to verify your separate contributions to your retirement account.

3. Framing the Issues

The next stage in mediation is framing the issue. Contra Costa County mediators will focus on identifying the issues at which disagreement exists and the underlying concerns and interests behind disagreements. The mediator may explain the family laws that apply to your divorce situation to help create room for negotiation. She may try to understand your view on how your marital property should be divided or what your concerns are regarding child custody and spousal support.

Some mediators manage the framing stage jointly with both spouses. Other mediators may manage separate meetings if one spouse feels uncomfortable sitting together. At Families First Mediation, we seamlessly combine the stages so that our couples benefit from the opportunities to discuss their matter and negotiate.

4. Negotiating the Divorce

The purpose of the negotiation stage is to help couples to settle issues. You can think of the negotiating stage as a give-and-take. Therefore, spouses who reach this phase with the mindset to work together and solve problems result in a productive mediation. By the time you are negotiating, you should have a very good idea of the laws surrounding that topic as well as the options available to you to resolve your situation. In this stage, the Mediators use their training and skills to help couples brainstorm creative solutions so that one spouse’s gain is not the other spouse’s loss, which requires both spouses to have a cooperative attitude. We truly believe that mediation is not a place for compromise, but creating quality agreements that uniquely address the parties’ concerns. The length of this stage varies depending on the spouse’s negotiation skills and the mediator’s skills.

The expert mediators help spouses negotiate on these common issues:

Fair division of property
Transfer of investments and tax implications
Living arrangements for children
The amount and duration of spousal support
Child custody and visitation issues
Division of joint debts
Spousal support and financial assistance (based on Income, Marriage Duration, and Childcare).

5. Finalizing the Settlement and Concluding Divorce Mediation

Stage 5 concludes the mediation process. Attorney mediators draft an agreement known as the Marital Settlement Agreement after the couples agree on all divorce issues. Then, the mediator allows both spouses to review the written agreement before they sign it to make it a binding agreement. In an effective mediation, couples sign the settlement agreement without delay. The next step is to file a settlement agreement with the court. The court has to review it for legal correctness before issuing a final divorce judgment. You can file this through the attorney mediator. If you do use an attorney-mediator, you likely will not need to hire a divorce attorney to assist you with filing the MSA. Our Families First Mediation (attorney) Mediators have successfully helped thousands of couples mediate. Our mediators understand the legal framework of Contra Costa County and the court procedures.

LEARN ALL ABOUT MEDIATORS

Meet Your Future Mediation Team

Dina Haddad, Esq.

Principal & Founder Attorney-Mediator

Dina is the founder and principal of Families First Mediation. Her mission is make A-class services available to clients at all socio-economic levels by providing her commitment to excellence at a fraction of the cost of traditional divorce options.

She has practiced family law in both Southern and Northern California, at some of the most prestigious law firms. She completed post-doctorate law degree in mediation, a Masters in Law in Alternate Dispute Resolution 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.

Phone Number:

(408) 357-3486

Email:

[email protected]

Samira Amato, Esq.

Divorce Attorney-Mediator

Deborah Yamashiro

Senior Paralegal

Elizabeth Stephens

Financial Mediator

Katherine Pearson

Case Manager & Paralegal

Families First Mediation Process

1

Start A Divorce

We will prepare and file the Petition and Response for the divorce or legal separation for you. These papers start your divorce case.

2

Mediate An Agreement

You will meet with the attorney-mediator and your spouse in working sessions. On average, parties need 6 sessions. The attorney-mediator will help you understand the law and provide you options for property division, parenting and child and spousal support. Using that information, the attorney-mediator will guide you to an agreement. We are looking for results that you understand and work for you, each other, and your family - both today and for your future.

3

Complete Disclosures

For every divorce and legal separation, you must exchange and complete financial disclosures. We will guide you through them so they are exchanged and done correctly

4

Divorce Judgment

We will put your agreements together in a final agreement, known as an MSA. We submit this to court to become your divorce judgment.

Services of FFM Mediators for Contra Costa County

Our Contra Costa County FFM Mediators, CA, have helped thousands of couples agree on the specific terms of their divorces. Our Mediators have saved spouses from costly litigation with customized strategies suited to families’ needs. Following are the Services of Families First Mediation Mediators.

Divorce
Paternity
Spousal Support
Legal Separation
Faith-Based Divorce
Settlement Conferences
Child Custody and Child Support

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F.A.Q

Virtual Sessions

Our mediation sessions are virtual. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, we offered virtual sessions and relied heavily on technology to offer the best services to our clients and keep their costs down. We rely on secure methods to share documents, online calendaring, electronic payment options and other useful integrations. Unlike other divorce practices, you won’t find charges on your invoice for us to file or print your documents to paper.

How can I find a divorce mediator iContra Costa county near me?

Finding the correct assistance throughout a Divorce can be difficult, but at Families First Mediation, we’re here to help you navigate this road with care and compassion. Our staff, led by Dina Haddad, an experienced Attorney and Mediator, is dedicated to assisting Contra Costa County families in navigating divorce and separation fairly and respectfully for all parties involved. Here’s how you may contact at Families First Mediation:

Visit our website: Take a moment to visit FamiliesFirstMediation.com to discover more about who we are and how we may assist you during this difficult time.
Reach out personally: You are not alone in this. Please contact us by phone or email to schedule a Free consultation.

How Long Does Mediation Take In Contra Costa To Reach A Fair Settlement?

Mediation, unlike the court divorce process, involves no legal deadlines. Its pace depends upon the couple’s negotiation skills, the experience of the mediator, and the number
of issues in your case. In short, spouses and the said factors control the length of your mediation. Our couples at FamiliesFirstMediation average 4-6 sessions to reach a fair settlement. Each mediation session can last for 1-3 hours. Mediated divorces take far less time than court divorces, ending in months and years.

How Long Does Divorce Mediation in Contra Costa County Take to Reach a Fair Settlement?

How does divorce mediation differ from divorce litigation?

Divorce litigation takes 1 to 2 years to get you divorced. Even divorces for contested and high-conflict cases may take more than two years. While mediation is a casual process and
takes 4—6 sessions for couples to get divorce judgment. Each session in it can last for 1—3 hours.
Mediation in Contra Costa may cost $5,000 to $15,000, including filing fees and other charges combined from simpler to complex cases. However, litigated divorce expenses may range from $30,000 to $100,000 per person. Mediation is a private and confidential process, unlike the court divorce, whose proceedings are recorded and go public.

Does the mediator meet with both spouses together or separately?

Mediators in Contra Costa may adopt either joint or separate mediation sessions for divorcing couples, which may depend upon the following factors:

Mediator’s preferences
Case conflict levels
Couple’s willingness and comfort to express their concerns in front of each other.

Take this example. For high-conflict cases, the mediator may adopt separate mediation sessions for both spouses to address issues as it would be difficult for spouses to discuss sensitive topics related to divorce in front of each other. You can discuss joint or separate sessions with potential mediators in a Free Initial consultation meeting. But the ultimate purpose of mediation is a productive divorce, which only neutral mediators can bring, whether mediation involves joint or individual meetings.