Mediation Is a Different Kind of Process. Here's What to Expect.
Divorce Mediation Lawyer For Your Situation
What Family Law Mediation Actually Is
In mediation, you don’t go to court and ask a judge to rule on anything. You work things out by agreement, together. Angela sits in as a neutral third party, meaning she doesn’t represent either side or advocate for one of you over the other. Her job is to help you both identify what needs to be resolved, get each side’s position on the table, and work toward agreements you can both commit to.
When you reach agreements, Angela writes them up in a document called a Memorandum of Understanding, which is yours to keep. However, it isn’t a court order on its own. To make it official, you’ll take that memorandum and either hire an attorney or use standardized self-help forms to turn it into a final order for a judge to sign.
Most of Angela’s mediation work involves these areas of family law: divorce, parenting time, property allocation. But mediation isn’t limited to family matters, it’s available for other civil disputes too.
Who Mediation Is For?
Mediation tends to work best when:
Both parties are willing to participate in a structured conversation, even if things are tense.
Both parties wish to avoid the time, attorney fees, and stress of protracted litigation.
You’d rather reach an agreement before involving the court.
You want to stay in control over the outcome rather than leaving decisions to a judge.
Are You Looking for a Divorce Mediator or a Litigation Attorney?
Angela works in two roles, and she can only take on one per case: mediator or litigator, never both.
As a mediator, Angela stays neutral. She doesn’t represent either side or give legal advice. Her job is to help both people talk through the issues and reach agreements that work for everyone.
As a litigator, she represents one person only and advocates for that person.
These are two separate processes, with different rules and different goals. Because of this, once Angela meets with someone for a litigation consultation on a case, she can’t later mediate that same case. Giving legal advice to one side means she’s no longer neutral, so mediating afterward would be a conflict of interest.
Not sure which one you need? Just tell Angela’s team when you call. They’ll ask a few quick questions to make sure you’re pointed to the right service before anything gets scheduled.
How to Schedule Your Family Law Mediation Session With Angela
- One party calls Angela’s office to request mediation.
- Our team identifies two to three available time blocks, each ranging from 2-3 hours long.
- The first party shares those options with the other person and asks them to call our office directly to confirm. If a phone number is provided, Angela’s team can reach out to the second party directly to help finalize scheduling.
The goal is to make the process straightforward for both sides so you can focus on the mediation itself, not the logistics.
Divorce Mediation Cost & Timeline
Mediation requires an initial retainer fee of $650 that must be paid before your session. The parties can work out between themselves how to split this cost, unless a court order specifies otherwise. Paying the retainer confirms your appointment, as your session won’t begin until it’s paid. If more than one session is needed, this applies each time.
Most sessions run up to two hours, which the retainer covers. If your session runs longer, you’ll be billed for the additional time in six-minute increments at $325 per hour, with a balance due within two weeks.
Every case is different. Some matters resolve in a single session, while others take more time depending on how many issues need to be worked through and how quickly you and the other party can reach agreement. Either way, you’ll have a clearer sense of how long your process will take after your first session with Angela.
Schedule your mediation session.
If you would like to request a mediation session with Angela, please call the office or fill out the online inquiry form.