Divorce Mediation With A Consulting Attorney – How To Keep The Peace While Protecting Your Interests
Often during our initial free consultations which you can schedule at https://sandiegofamilylawyer.net/schedule/, those beginning to explore divorce are under the mistaken understanding that if they opt for mediation, they cannot have an attorney as well. This is absolutely untrue.
When you opt for mediation, it’s true you and your spouse together engage the mediator who works with both of you. In the case of Chief Peacekeeper™ Scott Levin, founding partner at San Diego Divorce Mediation and Family Law, although he is an attorney and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, he acts as a neutral third party who helps divorcing spouses come up with creative solutions to solve their dispute. He does not represent either person as an attorney during mediation and so Mr. Levin’s role is limited to that of an effective creative neutral.
But this does not mean that parties in mediation are without the ability to seek out the advice of legal counsel. In fact, most of our clients do have attorneys, but they engage those attorneys on a limited basis called consulting attorneys. A consulting attorney is someone who can help give you advice about what to expect in mediation, what to ask for in terms of a deal, and can review the draft of the Marital Settlement Agreement that Mr. Levin will prepare for you once a global agreement is reached. Because you are limiting the nature of this representation to only when you initiate contact with your attorney, most of our clients spend less than a $1000 on the total attorney fee so that they keep the process inexpensive and peaceful while protecting their interests and adding to their knowledge. This is a great way to form an effective divorce team.
Mr. Levin and attorney Patricia Van Haren discuss the effectiveness of engaging a consulting attorney during mediation in the below video. For more information about how we can help you through mediation or as a consulting attorney, please call 858-255-1321.
