Providing Divorce Mediation Services Throughout California
Are you looking for an expert mediator to help you and your spouse agree on issues outside the court without paying expensive lawyers?
It requires finding the best, most affordable, top-rated divorce mediator in your state or county.
You also need to know that mediating the divorce is one thing, but mediating through a qualified mediator is another.
By best divorce mediator, we mean the one who must be well trained in mediation, have vast experience in family law issues in your state, and have good reviews from trusted sources and people.
Dina Haddad, a California-based divorce mediator, has 21+ years of experience in family law mediation. She has mediated 10000+ cases in her career. Want to talk to her? Book her free consultation today.
Choosing a mediator in California may be simple. Search on Google and here you go find the mediator.
But have you found a qualified and top-rated divorce mediator? Finding a certified and affordable mediator may not be as simple as requiring a little effort.
What would you consider before hiring a mediator? Qualification, experience, or both? What about mediators who give free consultations to find the best match? What questions would you ask a mediator in a free consultation?
This blog will highlight 5 steps to help you find the best mediation lawyer for a divorce or legal separation in California.
The first step in ‘finding a good mediation lawyer’ is knowing the standards and criteria that make a mediator fit your case.
Learn about your mediator’s qualifications and experience in tackling divorce cases or family law action related to your case.
Also, ensure they are well-trained and specialized family law or divorce expert to tackle your case. Consider the following deep things for further evaluation:
Look for the mediator’s experiences in terms of the number of years the mediator has spent mediating divorces and handling cases in the specific state.
For example:
Mediators come from various backgrounds, such as law, social work, therapy, judiciary, etc.
Attorney mediators are experts in family laws and court procedures, giving them a clear advantage over non-attorney mediators.
So, always go with the mediators with at least 40 hours of training or extensive formal training in family law and conflict resolution from a reputable organization or university.
Dina Haddad has specialized training in mediation, including a Master of Law in ADR (LLM) from Straus Institute – the most reputable ADR program in the nation. Her office provides a free consultation. Book yours today.
The mediator’s approach plays a decisive role in reaching a quality agreement. Evaluate what strategies and approaches your mediator can use.
You can evaluate the mediator’s approach during the initial online consultation. The following questions will help you understand the mediator’s approach:
Note: Your mediator can employ different mediation approaches depending on your family.
Look for mediation services or a mediation lawyer who practices family law mediation in your state and is well-versed in your county’s family laws.
Because legal nuances and family law (divorce or legal separation) filing procedures can vary from state to state.
Likewise, your final agreement (MSA) needs to be in compliance with California or your state.
Quick Tip: Run a Google search such as “divorce mediator near me in California.” Alternatively, “divorce mediator near me” to find a mediator offering divorce mediation services near you.
If you have already chosen your divorce mediator, make it productive with 15 divorce mediation tips and tricks.
Principal & Founder Attorney-Mediator
Dina has been Families’ top choice when resolving family law issues outside the court. She has numerous achievements, awards, and publications. To check further, click here.
The 3rd step is to narrow down the research further.
Browse through the websites of mediators who practice meditation in your city. See what information their website has to solve your specific problem.
Do their websites mention their approach to mediation, pricing, and/or free initial meetings?
Evaluate people’s comments about what they say about mediator services. Client reviews are essential tools to check the credibility of the mediator. You can check our reviews here.
Shortlist the mediators that are close to the standards we have discussed.
What to discuss and what documents to bring in mediation? Dina Haddad has written a comprehensive article, “The 90-Item Divorce Mediation Checklist,” to help couples divorce effectively.
You can get its printable PDF version here.
The 4th step in finding the best divorce mediation services is to get the chance to talk to all shortlisted mediators by booking an initial meeting with them.
I believe that free consultations with mediators are a win-win. They let you assess their communication style and give them a head start on understanding your case.
You can use them to learn about their approach, style, and personality and whether they could provide the solution you are looking for.
Many mediators charge a fee for an initial meeting. Dina Haddad, a California-based divorce mediator and super-lawyer, offers a free video consultation. Book yours today.
Mediators in California may use various ways, including but not limited to:
Mediators with their websites detail how they conduct initial consultations (in-person, virtual, etc.)
Mediators with excellent reputations have packed schedules. For a new client, they are hardly available.
However, you may find a reputable mediator if you run through the process mentioned here. The following points can make your initial meeting useful.
Other Professionals: What other professionals they work with. You may need a financial mediator or therapist to deal with child welfare evaluation and/or emotional issues.
Evaluate your mediator’s empathy and compassion. If the mediator seems robotic or less interested in your well-being, find another.
Wait! Are you eligible for mediation, too? If your spouse is uncooperative or your case involves domestic violence or mental abuse, mediation may not be recommended.
In this stage, you are going to finalize the mediator from the shortlist and hire the best one. Let’s go through the process of finalizing and hiring the top pick.
You have used initial meetings with the mediators inquiring about their fees and communication styles and finding how best they align with your needs.
The next step is to re-evaluate before finalizing. Here are tips to help you with it.
Let’s move to the questions that you need to ask your mediator:
Four other ways that can help you find a mediator are:
Related: Handle your Divorce Using Online Divorce Mediation – Without Commuting and Changing Work Schedule.
Families First Mediation is a pioneer in the field of divorce mediation. Our entire divorce mediation team takes great pride in being active trainers, divorce mediators and teachers of mediation in the greater California area. If you are considering a collaborative divorce, legal seperation or looking for a san jose divorce lawyer we have services that may be beneficial to you. Take advantage of our vast expertise and background in the field of divorce mediation and our genuine desire to help with your divorce mediation services.
