PRACTICE • Family & Estate
A private family
mediator
Divorce mediation without court. Custody, separation,
blended-family and inheritance matters — convened in
confidence, paced for the parties, and resolved in a way that
holds up on a Monday morning.
3-5
AVG. SESSIONS94%
SETTLEMENT RATEStrict
Privilege
FOR
Divorce, custody, separation, inheritance
Including high-net-worth and cross-border matters.
FORMAT
Virtual or in-chambers
Los Angeles by appointment; virtual nationwide.
Half-day fee
$3,800 · fixed
Includes pre-mediation calls and post-session memo.
01 ·What family mediation covers
Family conflict resolution,
without the courtroom.
Family disputes cover ground the legal system handles awkwardly — relationships, money, children, grief and the past, all on one table. Private mediation gives that conversation a structure and a neutral.
01
Divorce mediation
A complete alternative to a contested divorce. Property division, support, parenting time and the long-form settlement — all drafted in-room. Most divorces resolve in three to five sessions.
02
Custody & parenting plans
Detailed, durable parenting plans that anticipate holidays, school transitions, relocation triggers and decision-making for medical and educational matters.
03
Separation agreements
For couples who are separating without (yet) divorcing. Covers finances, shared property and the contingencies couples often forget — pets, joint accounts, lease assignment.
04
Blended-family transitions
Step-parent integration, custody overlaps, support recalibration and the small operational frictions that, untreated, become large ones.
05
Inheritance & succession
Estate distribution, executor disputes, contested wills and the soft layer of grief and history that often drives them. Coordination with probate counsel where required.
06
Family-business transitions
Closely-held family businesses moving between generations. Equity, governance, employment and the family system itself — held together through the change.
02 · How it works
Five steps,
three to five sessions.
Every family is different. The shape of the work, however, is consistent — and predictable enough that you can plan your life around it.
Confidential intake
A free 30-minute call with each party, separately. We map interests, posture, and what an acceptable outcome would look like for each side. Nothing said is shared with the other party.
I
II
Engagement & preparation
An engagement letter sets the fee and confidentiality. Each party submits a short, non-privileged summary. We agree the format — virtual or in-chambers — and which professionals attend.
Convened sessions
Joint and caucus rounds, paced for substance over speed. Most commercial matters need a single day-long session; complex multi-party disputes occasionally a second.
III
IV
Term sheet, signed in-room
Once the parties reach agreement, a term sheet is drafted and signed before anyone leaves the room. The session does not close on a handshake.
Long-form & follow-through
A post-session memo arrives within seven days. The long-form settlement is drafted by counsel; we are available to comment on or arbitrate ambiguities that arise.
V
03 · Is mediation right for you?
A short, honest fit.
We’ll tell you on the intake if mediation isn’t the right instrument. Below is the working test.
- Both parties are willing to be in the same (virtual or physical) room
- Speed and privacy matter more than a public ruling
- There are children, a business or assets you both want to preserve
- Counsel is involved but you want decisions in your own hands
- You want an outcome you can describe in your own words
- There is active domestic violence or coercive control
- One party is unable or unwilling to negotiate in good faith
- An emergency court order is what the matter actually needs
- A party is hiding assets and discovery has not yet occurred
- A binding precedent (rather than a settlement) is the goal
04 · What clients say
Quiet outcomes, in their own words.
Comments collected with permission. Names and figures altered to preserve confidentiality.
February 2024
Highly insightful, passion is visible for the work, preparation is exemplary, and his presence is admirable in the room. Thankful to have been in the same room.
January 2024
This week fundamentally changed my life. I see everything through a new lens. My patience, openness, and ability to understand another's position has significantly increased.
05 · Frequently asked
What principals usually want to know.
The questions below come up on most intake calls. If yours isn’t here, the call is the right place to raise it — there is no charge.
Mediation is private, voluntary and decision-by-the-parties. The mediator does not rule. Court is public, adversarial and decision-by-the-judge. Mediation typically resolves matters faster, costs less, and produces agreements both parties can describe in their own words.
You do not need a lawyer to mediate. Many parties retain consulting counsel to advise them between sessions and to draft the long-form settlement after a term sheet is agreed. We will say so on the intake if your matter requires it.
Yes. All sessions are convened under FRE 408 and the applicable state mediation privilege. No transcript is taken; the mediator’s notes are destroyed at the close of the matter.
A child-inclusive process can be convened with appropriate professionals when it serves the child’s interests. The decision is made jointly by the parents and the mediator after consultation.
Most family matters resolve in three to five sessions over four to eight weeks. Complex cross-border or family-business matters may run longer.
A half-day session is $3,800 fixed. A full day is $6,400. Multi-day engagements and travel are quoted separately. The initial 30-minute intake call is free.
Related practice areas
Other tracks.
Each practice runs on the same method. The pages below lay out the adjacent tracks.
01 · business-mediation
Commercial & Contract
Vendor, partnership, M&A holdback and shareholder matters — handled discreetly.
Read more ↗
03 ·employment
Employment & Workplace
Wrongful termination, PAGA claims, executive exits and workplace conflict — handled discreetly and off the public record.
Read more ↗
02 · cross-cultural-mediation
Cross-Cultural & Cross-Border
Multilingual matters where culture, language and jurisdiction layer on top of the dispute.
Read more ↗
04 · public-policy-mediation
Public Policy, Education & Policing
Multi-stakeholder facilitation for community, agency, school and law enforcement matters.
Read more ↗—— BEGIN
A first conversation,
held in confidence.
Thirty minutes, by phone or video, at no charge. We'll tell you on the call whether this is the right instrument for your matter.
MLC Participant
March 2024