Divorce is stressful enough. Work with top divorce mediators Dina & Samira to take control of your case in Santa Cruz County, CA offering the most comprehensive divorce mediation services.
Divorces can be expensive legal battles here in Santa Cruz but they don’t have to be. For Santa Cruz couples, you can decide to use Divorce Mediation for a less stressful divorce. Although Santa Cruz County is a smaller county in California, Santa Cruz has local rules that can slow down the filing process when couples are new to divorce.
Mediation gives you total control, while alleviating you from having to do your own filing, drafting and preparation of court forms. In other words, you can focus on reaching high-quality agreements on complex aspects of your divorce like child support, division of the assets, or spousal support, instead of a judge. It allows for a more quick and inexpensive alternative to divorce litigation as well.
Exploring your option for uncontested divorce in Santa Cruz? We at, Families First Mediation, will be more than happy to assist you with expert yet affordable and intelligent divorce mediation. Feel free to book a free consultation with us.
*Note: Mediation may not work for couples who’re unwilling to sit together and address the main issues at hand.
Divorce mediation is an inexpensive alternative that allows families to establish long-term agreements through their own efforts. The following are the benefits of mediation and ways to utilize mediation at all stages of the divorce process.
Utilize mediation as a means to discuss open communication. Explore options by identifying key financial/child related issues early, gathering documents, and seeing where you agree and disagree. This will enable you to be better prepared for the process.
Mediation enables parties to negotiate efficiently in a structured manner thereby limiting the potential for conflict. Mediators assist with the collection of relevant financial information, prioritization of issues, and development of solutions. The ultimate objective is to develop a formal Marital Settlement Agreement (MSA) that is submitted for court approval.
The divorce has been finalized, however, life continues to evolve. Utilize divorce mediation as a method to modify existing child custody, visitation rights, and/or support orders. This is ideal for resolving any new issues that have developed and formally amending previous agreements without the need to return to the Court.
Although mediation is an option available through the courts, using a private divorce mediation service provides you with much greater flexibility and potential for success.
In private mediation, you will be able to decide when you want to begin (whether before you file or after) and schedule sessions at your own convenience, as well as location. For Santa Cruz County, the Petition has to be filed and served prior to the Response being filed. Our services include the Petition and Response filings at the start of your divorce mediation.
You will be able to choose a mediator who you both trust, regardless of whether you need assistance, developing a parenting plan or addressing complex assets. Court-appointed mediators are typically assigned to cases and have limited availability and little if any input from either party regarding their selection.
Since you two deliberately choose to attend mediation sessions, you will be more invested in reaching an agreement. This means more collaborative discussions, less conflict, and mutually beneficial solutions for you, your spouse, and your children.
Private mediation encourages communication and therefore it has a higher rate of compliance than court ordered mediation. Its voluntary nature gives couples and families the sense of freedom in reaching mutually beneficial agreements.
As mentioned in the Divorce Mediation Manual by Stalne L. Bartelmie, many people in disputes often think that they are correct and have unrealistic expectations from mediation. Thankfully, mediation can fix this misconception, because the mediator will bring awareness to the parties helping them to set more realistic expectations.
This is why couples need to first prepare for divorce mediation in order to bridge the gaps between expectations and have a productive session. Mediation will be successful for you if:
If you do not fit into one of these categories then mediation may not be the best option for you. There are some instances where mediation will not be effective. These include if there is an extreme difference in power, domestic abuse, or if either party has intentionally concealed their financial situation.
Recognizing a divorce mediator’s main responsibilities is key before you decide to hire one. Understanding these responsibilities will help you make a good choice professional during a consultation.
At Families First Mediation, we are a dedicated team of four 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 Santa Cruz, California.
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.
The most important step is to make the conscious effort to mediate your divorce. Those that do save money, time and fees. And at Families First, our parties leave with high quality agreements for their today and future. Book a free consultation to learn how you can mediate your divorce successfully.
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.
We work with you to complete the required steps for a California divorce. This includes completing and exchanging your financial disclosures. We use these disclosures to help us reach the agreement.
We will put your agreements together in a final agreement, known as an Marital Settlement Agreement. We submit this to court to become your divorce judgment. You won't have to go to court. Most of our parties finish in less than 6 months.
Our Families First Mediation Mediators in Los Angeles, CA, have helped thousands of couples agree on the specific terms of their divorces. “Families First Mediation ” Mediators have saved spouses from costly litigation with customized strategies suited to their family’s needs.
Following are the Services of Families First Mediation Mediators:
Explore client stories and reflections on how we’ve made divorce in California simple and stress-free through our mediation process.
In Santa Cruz, you start the divorce mediation process the same way you start your divorce. By finding divorce mediators in your area and setting up consultations to discuss your goals.
Definitely, you can mediate your divorce even after years of separation. Mediation is effective in resolving issues related to long-standing separations. It also allows you to finalize informal agreements regarding assets or co-parenting.
In mediation, you have one neutral mediator to assist the discussion; while in a collaborative divorce, each party has their own attorney that works with the spouse’s attorney to resolve the divorce.
Absolutely. Confidentiality is a cornerstone of divorce mediation. You cannot use anything discussed in mediation in court if mediation is unsuccessful.
A skilled divorce mediator will work with you to help you untangle your assets and to gather and document them. For complex divorce cases, our divorce mediation services assist in high net worth divorces to streamline the process.
You can still make official agreements on any items that we’ve sorted out. We may need to leave the single remaining issue to a judge to rule on, which can save you even more time and money on all the other items
Uncontested divorce and mediation are not the same. Uncontested divorce is when you agree on all divorce terms. Divorce mediation is the process you work through to reach an agreement together.
