Simplify Your San Diego Divorce with Divorce Mediation

Use Divorce mediation in San Diego, CA to reach the best possible agreement in your divorce without a costly court battle and high attorney fees. Our experienced attorney mediators have empowered hundreds of OC couples to take control of their divorce, saving an average of $10,000 per couple. Book a free consultation with us to know how mediation can help in your case.

5 Star Reviews from Clients

0 +

Years of Family Law Experience

0 +

Less Costly Than Litigation

0 %

Successful Mediations Completed

Divorce Mediation Services in San Diego, Ca.

Divorce mediation has become a popular alternative to (divorce) litigation, especially in San Diego.

Mediation allows you to divorce without having to go to family court. Mediation in divorce is a private and confidential process, unlike the court.

In court, the proceedings are public and part of the public records. Mediators are neutral professionals who help spouses reach a creative solution and fair settlement. Mediators come from different professional backgrounds.

Some are attorneys, while others are non-attorney mediators. Some mediators are very comfortable with providing calculations, like support calculations, and others are not.

Mediators help spouses negotiate and resolve all issues pertaining to their divorce, including child custody, child and spousal support, future support modifications, and debts and property division.

Mediated divorces are more collaborative, cost-effective, and faster than a traditional divorce for San Diego married couples who want to divorce or part ways.

If you are considering mediation, consider Families First Mediation mediators, who have vast experience in San Diego divorce mediation and family law.

The great thing about FamiliesFirstMediation mediators? They strive to put you in control of your divorce. 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 a plan for your divorce success.

Divorce Mediation is for Following Those San Diego Couples.

Divorce mediation is effective for couples who fall under the following categories.

Mediation is for those couples who want to decide their matters themselves about their divorce and control the entire divorce process without involving third party judges. Plus it also saves you back and forth court visits for a 15-minutes hearing.

For parties with power imbalances, substantial physical and sexual abuse, divorce mediation should not be preferred because in such cases one party can dominate the process and try to gain information to manipulate or harm the other party.

Divorce mediation in San Diego costs around $3000 – $6000, which both divorcing couples can split to pay the entire cost. While traditional litigation in California is expensive and can range around $10,000 – $30,000 depending upon the case complexities.

Since divorce mediation involves little parental conflict compared to divorce litigation, mediation allows divorcing parties and their children to adjust, and adapt, allowing children to meet their potential as they become adults.

How Does Divorce Mediation Process in San Diego Look Like?

If your divorce is uncontested there is no better option than mediating your divorce. But before mediating your divorce you have to choose the best and neutral mediator in San Diego. Check for mediators who offer free personalized mediation consultation to understand your divorce goals and needs.

The divorce mediation process with Families First Mediation can look like this:

Usually uncontested divorces with Dina Haddad are so smooth that family courts approve it without a hearing.

1.

Information Gathering:

One of our mediators at this stage requests divorcing couples to provide information (like financial records, property outlines, and any existing or required parenting plans).

2.

Identifying Issues and Negotiation:

The mediator helps spouses list crucial issues like child custody, spousal support and property division to find a mutually agreeable solution. In issues identification and negotiation both the divorcing couples remain present though sessions can be joint or separate depending upon the complexity of the case.

3.

Drafting Agreement and Final Review:

Once the negotiations are completed, the mediator prepares a Settlement Agreement (often called Marital Settlement Agreement) based on all decisions that have been made in mediation and hand it over to both the couples for final review.

4.

Divorce Finalization:

One of the mediators from Families First Mediation files the settlement agreement to the court with the required forms. The judge reviews the terms outlined before making them a matter of public record.

See What are our Divorce mediation attorneys providing

Divorce Mediation

You may have heard of divorce mediation from a friend TV...

Legal Separation

Are you considering a divorce or legal separation, live in Ca,..

Moving Out Divorce

Choosing whether or not to stay, or to move out during...

Child Custody

In child custody mediation, attorney mediators and divorce ...

Child Support

Child support mediation involves a third-party mediator tasked....

Child Support Modification

Child support modification is the legal process...

Spousal Support Mediation

Spousal support is an important part of ending...

Prenuptial
Agreement

A prenuptial agreement helps safeguard your ...

Postnuptial Agreement

Life after marriage is like a never-ending ride...

Why Mediating Divorce in San Diego Should be Your Top Choice?

Mediating your divorce in San Diego puts you in control of your divorce. In San Diego, family law court procedures are long and tedious.

One of the best ways to avoid this is to work with a family law attorney-mediator to settle your divorce. The attorney-mediator will not only assist you with all the required court documents but also assist you in negotiating a settlement. Here are 5 great benefits of mediation:

1. Mediation is Peaceful.

Getting served with divorce papers is stressful. Imagine having to live your day to day life with court hearings, court papers, deadlines, depositions, discovery, and attorney conferences. It is incredibly stressful. Compare this to mediation. In mediation, you still have to work through your divorce (which is difficult) but the process works around your schedule and needs. You are working towards agreements, which increases the cooperative tone and de-escalates conflict.

2. No Divorce Process is as Much Private and Confidential as Mediation.

Mediation is a private and confidential process, and the record of your mediation sessions doesn’t go public. However, in court, all your testimony will be taken down by the court reporter and available as part of a court record.

3. You Control the Final Outcome.

Not even a mediator, who facilitates both spouses in reaching a consensual agreement controls the process. The couple directly controls the outcome rather than a judge deciding for the spouses. Divorce attorneys and celebrities will mediate their divorces over litigate for this very reason – control and privacy in their divorce. Similarly, most couples want the same and do not want attorneys or judges to dictate what should happen in their family life.

4. Mediation Entail Communication, leading to Less Recurrence of Litigation.

Communication in mediation is direct. As mentioned, the mediator speaks directly with the parties in joint sessions creating trust. This builds more trust, which leads to settlement (the end goal). In litigation, good communication is limited. Most communication tends to pull parties apart and increase conflict, which increases fees.

5. Mediation is Faster and Flexible.

Mediation is faster. You are working on your mediator’s private schedule and not an overly crowded public court system. You may finish your divorce in 5-6 sessions. Unlike the court’s structure and formal process, mediation is casual and built around your family and work life, offering your personalized flexibility.

Awards and Memberships

Meet The Team

Meet Your San Diego Trusted Divorce Mediation Experts

At Families First Mediation, we are a dedicated team of six professionals with over 60 years of combined experience in family law. Our collaborative group includes skilled attorney mediators, a financial mediator, a case manager, and a divorce paralegal, all committed to providing compassionate and effective divorce mediation services in San San Diego, California.

Contact:

(408) 357-3486

Email:

[email protected]

Dina Haddad, Esq.

Principal & Founder Attorney-Mediator

Dina Haddad is the founder and principal of Families First Mediation, one of California’s top-rated mediation services.

As an attorney-mediator based in California, Dina has helped countless couples resolve issues related to divorce, legal separation, child custody, spousal support, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements—amicably and effectively.

She earned her post-doctorate law degree in mediation from the renowned Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution.

Dina has practiced family law at some of the most respected firms in both Southern and Northern California. She brings a strong legal background together with a thoughtful, educational approach to mediation—ensuring both parties feel informed, heard, and empowered to reach lasting agreements.

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

Samira Amato, Esq.

Divorce Mediator

Elizabeth Stephens

(CDFA, CFF)

Financial Mediator

Deborah Yamashiro

Divorce Paralegal

Katherine Pearson

Divorce Paralegal & Case Manager

See What Our Client Say About Us

Explore client stories and reflections on how we’ve made divorce in California simple and stress-free through our mediation process.

"Dina Haddad and Families First made a difficult process so much easier for us. For families with complex situations, Dina is the perfect choice..."

"Very good experience. Dina knows how to get everyone on the same page while keeping both parties on friendly terms..........."

"We like the way Dina Haddad and Families First Mediation made the well-being of our kids their top priority. They guided us through......."

"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......"

“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..."

"I highly recommend Dina and Deborah at Families First Mediation. Dina is awesome she helped guide us from beginning to the end through...."

"Dina is very knowledgeable both in terms of the divorce laws and accounting. She is a great listener and amazing in finding a solution...."

"Families First really helped make a difficult process seamless and helped us keep our friendship intact. Thanks to Dina and Deborah, we were able ...."

"Dina and Deborah helped us maintain our MSA, even years later, with the same kindness and professionalism as the first time we all..."

"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....."

"While this process can be full of emotion and never easy, Dina showed excellent professionalism and compassion during ....."

"For anyone out there navigating the legal complexities and emotional fallout of a divorce with children involved, I’d recommend Dina...."

"The transition out of marriage has been difficult and emotional. Dina has shown excellent professionalism throughout the process......"