Successful Divorce Mediation Sunnyvale
Divorce is stressful enough. Work with top divorce mediators Dina & Samira to take control of your case in Sunnyvale, CA, offering the most comprehensive divorce mediation services.
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Sunnyvale Divorce Mediator Services, Legal Separation, or Custody Mediation
What is Divorce Mediation?
Divorce mediation in Sunnyvale is a conflict or dispute resolution process for couples who want a productive and fair divorce. Mediation has a collaborative nature, allowing both the divorcing spouses to control the final outcome per their divorce goals, rights, and interests. Divorce mediation involves qualified mediators who remain neutral and impartial to help couples reach a consensual settlement.
Spouses discuss important terms of divorce, which derive the outcome rather than a court or judge deciding for you. This is the most common option (under collaborative divorce) because of its non-adversarial nature, cost-effectiveness, and faster speed than a litigated divorce. Also, domestic partners who want to separate their ways can pursue divorce mediation.
Benefits of Divorce Mediation in Sunnyvale, CA
The following are the ways that make mediation advantageous to divorcing spouses.
Impartiality
Find a mediator that keeps the playing field level for both spouses. Your mediator must make the mediation space safe for both parties. For you to be able to settle, you both need to feel heard, validated and understood. Neutrality is non-negotiable.
Empathy and Compassion
Divorce is an emotional process, and empathetic mediators can understand the emotions of both parties to handle complex and emotional situations. Look for a compassionate mediator who can better care for your emotions.
Affordability
Compared to litigation and traditional divorce options, mediation is affordable. However, look for a mediator that provides a structured and well-organized mediation process. Mediators often charge hourly. If the mediator is not organized, or also litigates, the mediator may not have his/her full attention on your matter. This will cost you more in the long run, even if that mediator’s hourly is less than another professional. Family law and divorce are not easy and family issues can be complicated. This in itself requires time, which results in costs. But still looking for a mediator that can give you a general idea of the costs to mediate and are transparent regarding their fees.
Experienced and Knowledgeable Mediator
Take time to find a mediator who is well-versed in the issues that you and your spouse believe are relevant to your case. A good divorce mediator must have strong experience and knowledge of California family law and divorce procedures. Only well-trained and knowledgeable attorney mediators know how different laws and legal frameworks apply to you, your circumstances, and your spouse. For example, at Families First Mediation, we specialize in complicated assets such as retirement plans and pensions, employee benefits like RSUs, PSUs, and stock options, real property (including deferring the sale of the family home,) creative rights and ownership, and patents and copyrights.
Troubleshooting Skills
The best mediators use problem-solving skills to foster productive communication between the parties to reach creative solutions that benefit both. A mediator with problem-solving skills moves the mediation forward and is more likely to end in a final settlement. Our ‘Families First Mediation’ Mediators, with their extraordinary problem-solving skills, have helped thousands of couples settle in just 4–6 sessions. Our Marital Settlement Agreements are detailed – which benefits the parties and limits the amount of future modifications and enforcement issues. We find the details create more long-lasting settlements.
Mediator Spotlight Dina Haddad
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. Dina sits 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.
See What Our Clients Say About Us
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"Dina Haddad and Families First made a difficult process so much easier for us. For families with complex situations, Dina is the perfect choice. She has so many potential solutions at her fingertips and offers good advice while working through the choices. We were grateful to have found her and Families First."
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"Very good experience. Dina knows how to get everyone on the same page while keeping both parties on friendly terms. This was a very amicable resolution thanks to Dina. I would highly recommend anyone going through this versus hiring separate attorneys and ending on not so friendly terms. We are still friends and care for the welfare of each other, well worth it!"
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"We like the way Dina Haddad and Families First Mediation made the well-being of our kids their top priority. They guided us through what could have been a messy process, and looked out for the best interests of both of us. Dina and Deborah were easy to work with, and made our divorce much less stressful than it would have been if we had gone through opposing lawyers."
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"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 ideas and alternatives that you may not think about with a traditional divorce. She is always fair and good at maintaining rules and boundaries. I would recommend her to anyone that has to go through this grueling process."
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“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... Samira and Deborah are organized, professional, empathetic, knowledgeable, and efficient. They made the process simple and clear, ensuring both parties were satisfied. They answered and addressed all questions and concerns always being neutral. I’ll highly recommend it if you want to avoid the courtroom and save some headaches! Thank you Samira and Deborah!!!!”
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"I highly recommend Dina and Deborah at Families First Mediation. Dina is awesome she helped guide us from beginning to the end through this very hard and emotional process of Divorce. I loved her compassion towards our needs and looked out for the best interest of our family. This is one of the hardest and complicated things to go through and she made sure we understood everything answering all of our questions. We really appreciate all your help and how smoothly the whole process went Thank-you."
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"Dina is very knowledgeable both in terms of the divorce laws and accounting. She is a great listener and amazing in finding a solution that works for both parties. She has a very creative mind to resolve conflicts be it about child custody, scheduling or asset division."
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"Families First really helped make a difficult process seamless and helped us keep our friendship intact. Thanks to Dina and Deborah, we were able to look at everything honestly, openly, and together in a safe and friendly manner. They are wonderful!"
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"Dina and Deborah helped us maintain our MSA, even years later, with the same kindness and professionalism as the first time we all worked together. We've both come to trust FFM after both of us would independently check-in with our lawyers. Dina and FFM never failed to give us both fair and reasonable advice and direction."
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"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. They made a difficult transition seamless, which is not easy to do given the reason people go to see them in the first place. Dina always made sure to be fair to both of us in a gentle, yet poignant way. I wouldn't hesitate to use her services again should the need arise, and would highly recommend her to anyone!"
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"While this process can be full of emotion and never easy, Dina showed excellent professionalism and compassion during the entire process. We selected her after speaking with several mediators. She was thoughtful, thorough, and patient in explaining what to expect. Throughout the process, she explained the various pros and cons of each decision, made sure we understood the various details of each point, and was creative in finding alternative ways to reach solutions when necessary. Her suggestions were fair and she never pressured us into a decision until we were ready. I've already recommended her services to several other people and will continue to do so."
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"For anyone out there navigating the legal complexities and emotional fallout of a divorce with children involved, I’d recommend Dina and Families First Mediation without a shred of reservation. She was able to skillfully work with us in acknowledging the emotional ramifications with compassion, while always maintaining a fair-minded and focused approach throughout that kept the process moving. In the end, we arrived at an agreement that was in the best interest of all parties involved, without needing to set foot in a court room or throw thousands of dollars away in litigation. Thank you, Dina!"
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"The transition out of marriage has been difficult and emotional. Dina has shown excellent professionalism throughout the process. She has a warm sensitivity that allows both parties to see what is most beneficial for the family unit. I thank her for all her hard work and her quick email responses during this challenging time. Dina comes with quality legal experience and advocates for BOTH sides. Most of all, I am thankful that she has helped our family as a whole work through this. My children and my ex-husband can now move forward and rebuild our lives. Thank you Dina."
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Why Mediate My Divorce
Divorce Mediation is proven as the most effective approach for divorce. You stay in control of your divorce case and you make the decisions for you and your family, not a judge or lawyer. You also save money, paying for one impartial professional rather than multiple professionals with differing goals. Also, mediation takes far less time than any of the other available options.
We believe anyone can successfully mediate their divorce or legal separation. In fact, statistics show children do much better when parents mediate. We provide a customized process that allows couples to move quickly and successfully through their divorce process. We provide the legal knowledge you need to make the right decisions for you and your family. We take the complexity of divorce and make it simple.
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.
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.
Divorce mediation costs in Sunnyvale, California, may vary depending upon many factors. For example, how many sessions your mediation may involve, the complexity of the issues involved, and the experience of mediators.
Of course, mediators with high experience and reputations charge more than the less experienced mediators. While the complexities in your case, such as child custody and property division, may also affect mediation costs. Likewise, mediated divorce may involve additional expenses such as filing fees, document preparation and financial advisor costs.
Also, some mediators charge on an hourly basis ($359– $700 per hour). While others may ask you to pay a flat fee for mediation services. So, you can begin your divorce mediation in Sunnyvale after you know the mediators’ experience, qualifications, and fees. Following are examples of flat fees in the divorce mediation process.
● Low-cost Mediation: $3,500 – $5,000
● Standard Mediation: $5,000 – $15,000
● Complex Mediation: Starts from above $15,000
The number of sessions required in your mediation process may depend upon the complexity of issues, emotional factors, legal complexities, information gathering, and experience of the mediator. Typically, our couples average 6 sessions.
Mediation is a dispute resolution method to reach an agreement between divorcing spouses. If both spouses disagree on specific terms in mediation, they must go through traditional litigation in family court.
Traditional litigation can have high costs, extended time (in court battles), and increased conflicts. Therefore, individuals dealing with divorce can follow these tips. The following are tips for individuals wanting a successful divorce mediation in Sunnyvale, California.
Take breaks when needed
Decide your interests and priorities
Come prepared and listen actively
Choose an experienced and qualified mediator
Try to compromise and reach a mutual agreement
Gather important information (about assets, debts, and possessions)
Stay honest and indulge in open communication during negotiations
Keep personal emotions aside and stay calm during divorce negotiations
The number of sessions required in your mediation for simple divorce or complex cases can vary. The more complications there are, the more sessions will be required. Likewise, the couple’s willingness to compromise, complexity, information gathering (process), expert consultations, and mediator experience may also influence the number of sessions. Our Families First Mediations couples average 5–6 sessions. Here is a breakdown of the expected number of sessions based on the case types.
- • Simple cases: 3–5 sessions
- • Mid-size cases: 4–8 sessions
- • Highly complex Cases: 8–12+
The following are the pros and cons of mediation in divorce.
Pros
- • Confidential
- • Time effective
- • Post-divorce stability
- • Voluntary, informal and flexible
- • More control over the outcome
- • Collaborative and peaceful nature
- • Inexpensive process(both parties can collectively pay the fees of a mediator)
Cons
- • Can’t work for high conflict cases
- • Does not work for uncooperative couples
- • Lacks legal advocacy (mediator just mediates and doesn’t advocate for parties, unless the parties retain consulting attorneys)
- • Doesn’t work for couples with power imbalance (unless the mediator is able to neutralize)
No, mediation and collaborative divorce are entirely different approaches to divorcing. Both are processes to divorce in California, without stepping into court, yet these options differ in the process, (number of) professionals involved, and costs.
- • In mediation, both parties have one mediator, while in a collaborative divorce, each party retains his/her attorney.
- • In mediation, you work directly with the mediator. In collaborative practice, you work in a team approach. The number of professionals in the team varies, but can include a mental health professional and financial expert.
- • Mediation is generally cheaper than collaborative divorce because collaborative typically requires a team which is more costly based on the number of professionals. Additionally, teams tend to move slower (costing more) than a more streamlined service like mediation.
- • A mediator in mediation stays neutral. The mediator neither advocates in the court nor for the parties. They just mediate for both divorcing parties. In collaborative divorce, each party’s attorney advocates for its party.