Divorce Mediators Guiding You Swiftly to Resolution

Your Mediation Questions Answered

• Hiring Lawyers vs. Hiring Mediators – What’s the Difference?

  Mediators are true neutrals. We cannot advocate for one party or take sides in the dispute. Our role is to guide both of you towards resolution by clearly defining the issues, recognizing each party’s needs, identifying options, and ultimately negotiating a final settlement.

  When you hire a lawyer, they are your advocate. Their job is to represent only your interests, build evidence in your favor and against the other side, and argue your case to a judge. The mediator is a neutral (like a judge) and cannot give legal advice – but we can provide legal information. The mediation process is confidential, and the mediator cannot and will not ever appear in court to testify about what went on in the mediation session.

• How is Mediation Better Than a Traditional Court Divorce?

  Divorce and family mediation is a faster and less expensive way to resolve property, business and debt division, support, custody and co-parenting issues, in a private, non-adversarial setting. Mediation helps return a sense of physical, emotional and financial stability as quickly as possible, to minimize harmful effects on couples and children.

• How Does Mediation Save Time and Money?

  It is not uncommon for couples going through traditional court divorces or custody disputes to spend $35,000 to $75,000 each in attorney fees and court costs, and 18 to 30 months to get to trial or settlement. Sapere Mediation cases are typically resolved in 60 days or less – the speed is up to you.

  Most of our comprehensive cases (starting from beginning to end) average $10,000 to $25,000 in total fees, commonly split between the parties. Smaller issues such as prenuptial agreement negotiations or support/custody/visitation modifications are at much lower fees.

• Who Should Use Family Mediation?

  Mediation is for those who wish to separate or divorce with minimal expense and emotional turmoil. Family mediation is for those who wish to limit parental conflict for the sake of their children, and who desire to preserve a sense of privacy and control over major decisions in their lives (instead of leaving it to the government to decide).

• What Do The Mediators Do?

  A mediator does not act as a judge and will not make decisions for either party. Instead, Sapere Mediators guide both parties in defining the issues, recognizing needs/interests, generating options and negotiating a final settlement agreement.

  At the conclusion of the sessions, the Mediators and their paralegal staff draft the final settlement agreement and prepare the judgment package for submission to the court. Sapere Mediators are neutrals and do not represent either party.

  Mediation is not counseling or therapy but is a process for taking control of the future. Sapere Mediators cannot give legal advice, but legal information may be provided to both parties, jointly, where appropriate.

• What Type of Cases Does Sapere Mediation Resolve?

  We are family law mediators – expert family law trial attorneys who have seen just about every kind of case under the sun. The cases we handle include:

  • Spouses or domestic partners beginning the divorce process;
  • Separated parents dealing with custody and support issues;
  • Parties navigating modifications of orders after a divorce or legal separation;
  • Parents and grandparents with custody disputes;
  • Engaged partners negotiating a pre-nuptial agreement;
  • Spouses negotiating a post-nuptial agreement.

• What Happens at the Mediation Session?

  You will meet with the Mediator to negotiate all issues, review various support calculations (where appropriate), agree on reasonable timeshare arrangements for the children, determine a reasonable asset and debt division, agree on the value of business interests (where applicable) and formulate a settlement.  Upon reaching agreement on all issues, the session(s) will conclude, and the Mediator will begin to draft the Mediated Marital Settlement Agreement and Judgment Package.

• What Paperwork Do You Handle?

  If a divorce case has not already been filed with the court, we assist the parties by preparing a divorce petition in the name of one party, file it and serve it (by agreement) on the other party. This is called the Summons and Petition. Once the Summons and Petition is filed and served, the court now has a case open, and a case number is issued. You can’t provide the court with a final settlement and judgment unless there’s already a case open with a case number to file the settlement under.

  After the Mediation Session(s) conclude, the final agreement will be sent to each party for review and signing.  We always recommend you have it reviewed by an attorney and your tax advisor.  Upon signing the documents, the Sapere Mediation Paralegal will forward the paperwork to the court for filing on your behalf.  The court must sign off on the agreement and enter it as an Order (final judgment).  It can take 6-8 weeks to get the Orders signed and back from the court.

• How to Begin:

  1. Talk to Your Spouse/Significant Other About Mediation.
     Discuss this time and money saving alternative. Encourage him/her to look at the Mediation section of our website.
  2. Call for a Consultation.
     Call the Case Administrator at (951) 719-3456. Both parties will be emailed a Consultation Intake Form to be completed online and submitted several days before the Consultation. You’ll be scheduled to meet with a Sapere Mediator who will explain how the process works, assess your case, determine if mediation is right for you, and create a Custom Mediation Plan tailored to your needs. Any urgent issues will be addressed at the consultation. 
     We offer flat-fee packages, even for complex cases, so you can focus on what matters most.

     The fee for the consultation is $500 and it usually lasts 45-60 minutes.  For your convenience, you may participate in the consultation on-line or in person.

  3. Retain the Firm and Schedule Your Mediation Date.
     Once your case is approved for mediation, it’s time to take the next step. You’ll retain Sapere Mediation through an agreement and pay the flat fee. The Case Administrator will schedule a mutually agreeable Mediation Session and you’ll be given the preparation materials to get going. It’s that simple. 
  4. Provide Your Information, Participate in Mediation and Resolve All the Issues. You’ll provide your mediation prep materials to your assigned paralegal so all your case documents can be prepared and filed. Once you reach agreement at the Mediation Session, your final settlement agreement will be prepared, signed and filed. Welcome to a fresh new future – no judges, no crowded courtrooms, no hassle.