You’re not paying hourly rates that climb every time your attorney sends an email. With flat-fee pricing, you know exactly what this costs before you start.
You’re not waiting months for a court date while your life stays on hold. Most couples reach agreements in weeks, not years.
You’re not handing decisions about your kids and your assets to a judge who doesn’t know your family. You and your spouse make the calls, with a trained neutral guiding the conversation so it stays productive instead of destructive.
The process is completely confidential. Nothing said in mediation becomes public record. No courtroom audience. No drama that follows you online or through your community.
And if you have children, this matters even more. Mediation protects them from the worst parts of divorce by keeping both parents focused on collaboration instead of combat. That foundation makes co-parenting possible after everything is finalized.
We specialize in divorce and family mediation across Orange County, with deep roots in Brea and the surrounding communities. We’re not a law firm trying to upsell you into litigation. We’re mediators, trained specifically in conflict resolution and California family law.
Our mediators are neutral. That means we don’t represent either side. We facilitate the conversation, help you understand your options under California law, and guide you toward agreements that actually work for your situation.
We’ve worked with couples in Brea, Fullerton, Yorba Linda, Placentia, and throughout North Orange County. We understand the local court systems, the timelines, and what judges in this area expect to see in a marital settlement agreement. That local knowledge makes the process smoother and faster.
You start with a consultation. We talk about your situation, what needs to be resolved, and whether mediation makes sense for you. No pressure. No sales pitch.
If you move forward, we schedule your first mediation session. Both of you attend. We go through the issues one at a time: custody schedules, child support, spousal support, property division, debt allocation. Everything that needs to be decided.
Our job is to keep the conversation on track. We explain how California law applies to your situation. We help you explore options. We make sure both sides are heard. But you make the decisions.
Once you reach an agreement, we draft the paperwork. In California, that’s typically a Marital Settlement Agreement and a Judgment. We prepare those documents based on what you decided in mediation. You review them. If needed, you can have an attorney look them over.
Then you file with the court. In Orange County, the court reviews your agreement, and if everything is in order, the judge signs off. You’re divorced. The whole process usually takes a few months, not the year-plus that litigation often requires.
Ready to get started?
You get full divorce mediation. That includes child custody and visitation schedules, child support calculations based on California guidelines, spousal support analysis and agreements, and division of all assets and debts.
We also handle post-judgment modifications. Life changes after divorce. Incomes shift. Kids get older. Circumstances evolve. If you need to modify custody, support, or other terms later, we can mediate those changes without going back to court.
In Brea and across Orange County, most family law cases settle out of court. Mediation is how that happens. It’s faster and far less expensive than hiring separate attorneys to fight it out. The average litigated divorce in California costs between $15,000 and $30,000 per person. Mediation typically runs a fraction of that.
You also get confidentiality. Everything discussed in mediation stays private. That’s not true in court, where your financial details and personal disputes become public record. For families in tight-knit communities like Brea, Yorba Linda, or Placentia, that privacy matters.
And you get experienced neutrals who know California family law inside and out. We’re not just facilitators. We understand the legal framework, the local courts, and how to structure agreements that hold up long-term.
We use flat-fee pricing, so you know the total cost upfront. No hourly billing. No surprise charges when the process takes longer than expected.
The exact fee depends on the complexity of your case. A straightforward divorce with no kids and minimal assets costs less than a high-asset divorce with complicated custody arrangements. But even complex cases cost significantly less than litigation.
For comparison, hiring separate attorneys in Orange County typically costs $15,000 to $30,000 per spouse. Mediation usually runs a fraction of that. You’re paying for one neutral mediator instead of two adversarial attorneys billing by the hour.
The flat fee covers all mediation sessions, document preparation, and filing support. If you need additional sessions beyond what’s included, we’ll let you know upfront. No hidden costs.
Most couples finish mediation in two to four sessions, spread over a few weeks or months depending on scheduling. Each session typically lasts two to three hours.
After you reach an agreement, we prepare the legal documents. That takes about a week. You review them, make any needed changes, and then file with the Orange County Superior Court.
California has a mandatory six-month waiting period from the date your spouse is served until the divorce is final. That’s a legal requirement, not something mediation can change. But you can reach your full agreement and have everything signed well before that six-month mark.
Compare that to litigated divorces, which often drag on for a year or more. Court calendars are backed up. Attorneys go back and forth. Discovery drags out. Mediation cuts through all of that because you’re working together instead of fighting.
Mediation is completely confidential under California law. Nothing you say during mediation can be used against you in court if mediation doesn’t work out.
That confidentiality encourages honest conversation. You can explore options, discuss concerns, and negotiate freely without worrying that your words will show up in a court filing later.
The only exception is the final agreement itself. Once you both sign the Marital Settlement Agreement, that document gets filed with the court and becomes part of your divorce judgment. But the discussions that led to that agreement stay private.
This is a huge advantage over litigation, where everything becomes public record. Court filings, financial disclosures, testimony—all of it is accessible to anyone who wants to look. In mediation, your private matters stay private.
You don’t have to agree on everything in the first session. Mediation is a process. Some issues take longer to work through than others.
If you get stuck on a particular point, we can table it and move on to other issues. Sometimes resolving the easier stuff first builds momentum and makes the harder decisions clearer.
If you genuinely can’t reach an agreement on certain issues after multiple sessions, you have options. You can agree on what you can and litigate only the unresolved issues. That’s called a partial agreement, and it still saves time and money compared to litigating everything.
Or you can pause mediation, consult with attorneys separately, and come back to try again. Some couples need outside advice before they’re ready to settle. That’s fine. Mediation is voluntary, and you control the pace.
The reality is that most couples do reach full agreements. Mediation has a high success rate because both people are motivated to avoid court and because a skilled mediator knows how to guide difficult conversations toward resolution.
You don’t legally need a lawyer to mediate or finalize your divorce in California. Many couples go through the entire process with just a mediator and never hire attorneys.
That said, you’re always welcome to consult with a lawyer at any point. Some people want legal advice before signing the final agreement. That’s smart, especially if the financial situation is complex or if you’re unsure whether the proposed terms are fair.
If you do consult an attorney, you’re typically paying for a limited-scope review, not full representation. That costs far less than hiring an attorney to handle your entire case.
The mediator can’t give you legal advice because we’re neutral. We can explain how California law works and what a judge would likely order, but we can’t tell you what you should do. An attorney can.
So the short answer is: you don’t need a lawyer, but you can involve one if you want that extra layer of review and advice. Many people find that mediation gives them enough information to make confident decisions on their own.
Yes. You don’t have to be friendly to mediate. You just have to be willing to have a conversation with a neutral third party in the room.
Mediation is designed for conflict. If you got along perfectly, you wouldn’t need a mediator. Our job is to manage the tension, keep things productive, and make sure both sides get heard without the conversation turning into a fight.
We set ground rules at the start. No interrupting. No personal attacks. If things get heated, we pause and reset. The structure of mediation keeps emotions from derailing the process.
That said, mediation doesn’t work in every situation. If there’s active domestic violence, serious power imbalances, or one spouse is hiding assets, litigation might be the better route. We’ll talk through your situation in the consultation and let you know if mediation makes sense.
But for most couples—even those who are angry, hurt, or barely speaking—mediation works. It’s not about being nice to each other. It’s about making decisions and moving forward.
Local Resources
Useful Links
Here are some lawyer-related links:
Other Services we provide in Brea
