You’re not just avoiding court. You’re getting property division handled without a judge deciding who gets what. You’re creating spousal support agreements that make sense for your actual situation, not some formula that doesn’t fit your life.
Your kids don’t have to watch you fight in front of a judge. You sit down in a neutral space, work through the details with someone trained to keep things moving forward, and walk out with legally binding agreements that both of you helped create.
The difference shows up in your bank account first. Traditional divorce litigation costs $15,000 to $30,000 per person in Orange County. Mediation typically runs $3,000 to $7,000 total for both of you. That’s not a typo.
It also shows up in your timeline. You can finalize everything in six months instead of waiting up to 19 months for court dates, continuances, and all the delays that come with litigation. And unlike court proceedings that become public record, mediation keeps your financial details and family matters completely confidential.
We focus exclusively on divorce mediation and family dispute resolution in Orange County. We’re not a general law firm that does mediation on the side. This is what we do.
Our mediators are trained specifically in California family law and understand the local realities you’re dealing with. That means we know how to handle property division when you’re sitting on a home that’s appreciated significantly. We understand the complexities of dividing retirement accounts, stock options, and business interests that are common in this area.
Cedar Evergreen Co-op families come to us because we get the practical side of divorce here. School districts matter. Commute times matter. Keeping kids in their activities and social circles matters. We help you work through custody arrangements that account for real life, not just what looks good on paper.
You start with an initial consultation where we explain the process, answer your questions, and make sure mediation fits your situation. If you’re dealing with domestic violence or one spouse is completely unwilling to negotiate, we’ll tell you upfront that mediation probably isn’t the right path.
Assuming it makes sense to move forward, you’ll schedule your mediation sessions. These happen in a private, neutral office—not a courtroom. Both of you sit down with the mediator, and you work through each issue one at a time. Property division. Spousal support. Child custody and visitation. We keep things focused and productive.
The mediator doesn’t make decisions for you. They facilitate the conversation, help you understand your options under California law, and guide you toward agreements that work for both sides. When you reach agreements, we document everything properly.
Once you’ve worked through all the issues, we prepare your marital settlement agreement and all the legal paperwork needed to file with the court. You’ll get legally binding agreements that hold up exactly like they would if a judge had issued them. The difference is you created them instead of having them imposed on you.
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Our flat fee pricing covers everything you need to complete your divorce. That includes all mediation sessions, preparation of your marital settlement agreement, and all court documents required for filing. You’re not paying hourly rates that escalate every time you send an email or make a phone call.
Property division gets handled completely. We help you work through how to divide your home, vehicles, bank accounts, retirement accounts, and any other assets or debts. If you need to value something—like a business or pension—we’ll guide you on how to get that done properly.
Spousal support calculations take into account your actual incomes, living expenses, and how long you’ve been married. California has guidelines, but there’s flexibility in mediation to structure support in ways that work for your specific situation. Maybe one spouse needs more upfront and less monthly. Maybe you want to trade support for a larger share of equity. You have options.
Child custody and parenting plans get detailed attention. You’ll create a schedule that accounts for school, work, extracurriculars, and holidays. We help you think through decision-making authority for medical care, education, and other major issues. The goal is a plan you can both follow without constant conflict.
Post-judgment modifications are also part of what we do. If circumstances change after your divorce is final and you need to modify child support, spousal support, or custody arrangements, you can come back to mediation instead of going to court.
We use flat fee pricing that typically ranges from $3,000 to $7,000 total for both spouses combined. That covers all your mediation sessions, preparation of your marital settlement agreement, and all legal documents needed to file your divorce with the Orange County Superior Court.
Compare that to traditional litigation where each spouse pays their own attorney. Those costs run $15,000 to $30,000 per person in Orange County—sometimes significantly more if your case is complex or contested. You’re looking at $30,000 to $60,000 combined for litigation versus $3,000 to $7,000 for mediation.
The flat fee structure means you know your costs upfront. There are no surprise bills, no hourly rates that add up every time you communicate, and no incentive for anyone to drag things out. You pay one fee and get everything handled.
Most couples complete mediation in four to eight sessions spread over two to three months. California has a mandatory six-month waiting period from the time you serve divorce papers until the court can finalize your divorce, so six months is the absolute minimum timeline no matter which method you use.
Mediation lets you use that six-month waiting period productively. You schedule sessions at times that work for both of you—evenings, weekends, whatever fits your schedule. You’re not waiting months for court dates or dealing with continuances because the judge’s calendar is packed.
Litigation typically takes 12 to 19 months in Orange County, sometimes longer if your case is complicated. You’re working around court availability, attorney schedules, and mandatory waiting periods between hearings. Every time there’s a dispute, you file motions and wait for court dates. Mediation removes all of that.
Yes. When you complete mediation, your agreements get documented in a marital settlement agreement that’s filed with the court as part of your divorce judgment. Once the judge signs off on your judgment, it has the exact same legal force as if the judge had decided everything after a trial.
That means your property division is final and enforceable. Your spousal support terms are legally binding. Your child custody and parenting plan has the force of a court order. If someone violates the agreement later, you can go back to court to enforce it.
The difference is you created these terms through negotiation instead of having them imposed on you. Research shows that leads to much higher compliance rates. When people feel the agreement is fair and they had input in creating it, they actually follow it. Contrast that with court orders that one or both spouses resent and look for ways to avoid.
You don’t have to agree on every single issue before your first mediation session. That’s what the mediation process is for—working through disagreements with a neutral third party who helps you find solutions.
Most couples come in disagreeing on several major issues. Maybe you can’t agree on how to divide your home equity. Maybe spousal support is a sticking point. Maybe you have different ideas about the parenting schedule. We help you understand your legal options, see the situation from different angles, and identify compromises that work.
If you reach agreement on some issues but remain stuck on others, you have options. You can take a break and come back to mediation after thinking things through. You can bring in experts—like a financial advisor or child specialist—to help with specific issues. In rare cases where you truly can’t reach agreement on certain points, you can still mediate the issues you can agree on and only litigate the remaining disputes. That still saves you significant time and money compared to litigating everything.
Yes. It’s actually common for one or both spouses to have consulting attorneys while going through mediation. The mediator can’t give either of you legal advice—they’re neutral—so having your own attorney review agreements before you sign them is smart.
Some people hire attorneys on a limited scope basis just for this purpose. The attorney doesn’t represent you in mediation sessions or file motions or do any of the typical litigation work. They simply review what you’ve agreed to, explain how it affects you legally, and make sure you understand what you’re signing.
Other couples go through mediation without attorneys and only have a lawyer review the final marital settlement agreement before filing. That’s fine too. The key is that mediation works regardless of whether you have attorneys involved. We facilitate the conversation between you and your spouse—attorneys can be in the background providing advice, but they’re not running the show or fighting on your behalf.
Both mediation and collaborative divorce are alternatives to traditional litigation, but they work differently. In mediation, you and your spouse meet with one neutral mediator who facilitates negotiations. The mediator doesn’t represent either of you or give legal advice to either side.
In collaborative divorce, each spouse hires their own collaborative attorney, and everyone signs an agreement committing to settle out of court. You typically have four-way meetings with both spouses and both attorneys present. Sometimes you bring in other professionals like financial advisors or child specialists who are also part of the collaborative team.
Collaborative divorce can work well for complex cases where you want your own attorney actively involved in negotiations. But it costs significantly more because you’re paying two attorneys plus any other professionals on the team. Mediation is more streamlined and affordable while still giving you the option to consult with your own attorney outside of sessions if you want that additional input.
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