I cannot give legal advice, but I can help you find the answers!
As a Certified Divorce Coach, Certified Divorce Specialist, Mediator, and Legal Document Assistant (LDA), I am NOT an attorney, and I cannot give legal advice in any of these roles. With that said, when complicated legal issues arise in my cases, I collaborate with attorney colleagues to problem-solve issues and find solutions to save you time and money. In Divorce Coaching and LDA cases, I regularly attend attorney/client meetings and consult with attorneys.
Before taking any legal action, I always recommend my clients consult with an attorney experienced in the appropriate area of law relevant to their situation. I offer a Family Law Attorney Section Coaching Package which includes the cost of a consultation with an attorney of your choosing. Together we 1) assess the various approaches to your family law matter and representation options, 2) investigate and vet attorneys that align with your desired approach, 3) refine your divorce story so you can get down to business, 4) prepare your case for the initial attorney consultation, and 5) jointly attend the attorney consult appointment. See the Divorce Coaching page for full details. Limited to one (1) attorney consultation not to exceed $500.00 per hour for one (1) hour of consultation time.
In California, a family law mediator cannot give legal advice. A mediator must conduct the mediation proceedings in a procedurally fair manner. "Procedural fairness" means a balanced process in which each party is allowed to participate and make informed decisions. A mediator is not obligated to ensure the substantive fairness of an agreement reached by the parties. At or before the outset of the mediation, the mediator must provide all participants with a general explanation of:
(1) The nature of the mediation process;
(2) The procedures to be used; and
(3) The roles of the mediator, the parties, and the other participants.
A mediator must inform all participants, at or before the outset of the first mediation session, that during the mediation he or she will not represent any participant as a lawyer or perform professional services in any capacity other than as an impartial mediator. Subject to the principles of impartiality and self-determination, a mediator may provide information or opinions that he or she is qualified by training or experience to provide.
A mediator may recommend using other services in connection with a mediation and may recommend particular providers of other services.
A mediator must exercise caution in combining mediation with other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes and may do so only with the informed consent of the parties and in a manner consistent with any applicable law or court order. The mediator must inform the parties of the general nature of the different processes and the consequences of revealing information during any one process that might be used for decision-making in another process, and must give the parties the opportunity to select another neutral for the subsequent process. If the parties consent to a combination of processes, the mediator must clearly inform the participants when the transition from one process to another is occurring.
A mediator may present possible settlement options and terms for discussion. A mediator may also assist the parties in preparing a written settlement agreement, provided that in doing so the mediator confines the assistance to stating the settlement as determined by the parties.
The testimonials on this website are specific to the facts presented for each individual case and do not promise similar outcomes for any other case.
The material on this website is informational only regarding The Lawgical Divorce and none of the information on this website should be construed as legal advice or the formation of a MEDIATOR/COACH/LEGAL DOCUMENT ASSISTANT and CLIENT relationship. This website is not intended to solicit cases requiring Mediation or Legal Document Assistant Services for matters outside of the State of California.