FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I have designed the process to take about 3 to 6 weeks from the time you meet me in a pre-mediation meeting to the time you have a separation agreement in hand. But, this is an estimate. 80 percent of people will fall into this range. 10 percent will be faster - they have a simple situation and a low level of conflict. 10 percent of people will take longer - they have a complex situation and/or high conflict and so they require additional sessions.

But, really, for 80 percent of people it falls in this time frame.

It generally costs between $3,500 and $5,000 for the pre-mediation meetings, the mediation and drafting the separation agreement. Each party is responsible to pay for half of the fees, unless you agree to another arrangement. For more details, the pricing estimates are outlined in the Pricing section.

In my experience its much less expensive to use a mediation process because you're co-creating the plan instead of fighting about it. That in itself is the major difference. When you hire laywers you are paying them to get the best outcome for each of you. With that approach, it becomes a tug of war; and that takes a long time and costs a lot of money.

It's also just the logistics of mediation that contributes to it's efficiency. In mediation, we book a meeting where everyone has dedicated the time and energy to working out a plan. We sit together and we roll up our sleeves and figure it out. We get it done. With hiring two lawyers, proposal letters go back and forth and it feels like there's never actual connection on anything. When I worked as a family lawyer, my assistant used to say, with a resigned tone, "It's like ships passing in the night" ... and it was! Letters would go back and forth and nothing seemed to ever happen. But, the invoices would keep mounting.

In my experience, at my old firm, I'd ask for a retainer of $5,000 to get the file opened. Nothing would happen for less than that and most often we'd be seeking at least one other retainer before the file was resolved. Mediation is half the cost, at least. I think the key really is that actually coming together and dedicating the time to work out a plan that works for everyone means it's done in a day. Less time = lower cost.