Encinitas Divorce Mediation
Keep the school routine, the housing decision and the parenting plan connected.
Keeping the children near school may be one thing you agree on. Making that work once you’re paying for two homes takes a closer look. In Encinitas divorce mediation I help you examine the housing numbers and the parenting arrangements together, as a neutral attorney-mediator and CDFA®. Mary Levin, a Co-Parenting Specialist®, can join to work on the routines, communication and decisions that continue after the divorce. I grew up in San Diego and have longstanding ties to North County.
California attorney since 2004 · 2,500+ mediations · Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®)
2024–2027
Meet your mediators
I handle the legal and financial side of your divorce as a neutral attorney-mediator and CDFA®. When the parenting plan needs more attention, Mary Levin joins as co-mediator. One process, two sets of skills.
Scott Levin
Attorney-mediator and CDFA® · Legal and financial decisions
About Scott
Mary Levin
Co-Parenting Specialist® · Parenting plans and communication
About Mary
Keeping the home needs a parenting plan and a budget
Suppose one of you wants to keep the home so the children can stay near school. Before treating that as the answer, we need to know what the buyout requires, what’s left for the other household, and how the school week will actually run. I model the housing options so you can both see the tradeoffs.
| Housing proposal | Questions we work through |
|---|---|
| One spouse keeps the home | Can that household cover the ongoing costs? What will the other spouse have for a nearby home? |
| You sell the home | What would each household have afterward, and how would the new locations affect school and exchanges? |
| You continue to co-own | Who lives there, who pays which expenses, and what triggers a buyout or sale? |
We can meet by Zoom or at my office off I-15 at Carroll Canyon Road. How a house buyout works.
The decisions that shape life in two homes
Child and spousal support
Support has to work alongside the parenting schedule and the cost of two homes. I review the income information with both of you, explain guideline child support and work through spousal support separately. Bonuses, commissions or self-employment call for a closer look at the records. Child support mediation.
Retirement accounts and other property
The house is only part of the financial agreement. We also work through retirement accounts, savings, investments and debts, including community and separate-property questions. I help you compare proposed divisions with taxes, access to cash and future needs in mind. If a pension or retirement account needs a separate division order, another firm prepares it.
Military families
For Encinitas households connected to Camp Pendleton, a deployment or change of duty station can affect the parenting schedule and how we meet. We handle those practical questions alongside property and support, and military retirement and survivor coverage get the careful attention they need. Military divorce mediation.
Separate property and tracing
A down payment from a parent, an inheritance, or a home one of you owned before the marriage raises tracing questions that come up often along this coast. I help you identify what records exist, what they show, and how a reasonable settlement can account for a claim without a court fight.
A parenting plan for school days and two homes
For parents in Leucadia, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Olivenhain and Old Encinitas, a schedule has to work beyond the calendar. Who handles the school run? Where do the homework and the sports gear live? What happens when a child is sick or a parent’s work schedule changes? We settle school-year and summer schedules, holidays, transportation and how you’ll make decisions together.
Mary can join as co-mediator to focus on schedules, communication and how two homes will run for your children. I cover the legal and financial side. Together we help you work through the details that otherwise become the next disagreement. Learn about co-mediation.
What Clients Say
285+ five-star reviews across Google, Yelp, Avvo and Facebook combined.
Scott is an incredible mediator who is not only skilled at providing you with information about your legal rights, but is equally a patient and caring human. Scott will help guide you from the initial steps to the…
Scott is an incredible mediator who is not only skilled at providing you with information about your legal rights, but is equally a patient and caring human. Scott will help guide you from the initial steps to the very end. Having him as our mediator really helped us sift through every part of the divorce agreement in a way that was easy to understand and digest. If you're in this unfortunate position, Scott's knowledge and guidance will help make it a little easier.
How the process works
I guide the whole process as a neutral for both of you. I provide and review the financial disclosure forms; you each complete and exchange your own disclosures. I facilitate our meetings, draft and revise the marital settlement agreement, open the case when needed, and prepare and submit the agreed judgment paperwork. More about divorce mediation in San Diego.
In most cases the judge approves an agreed judgment without either of you appearing. If your case is likely to need an appearance, I’ll tell you at the start. I don’t represent either spouse in court.
Where Encinitas divorce cases are filed
Encinitas (92024) and Cardiff (92007) divorce cases are ordinarily filed at the San Diego Superior Court’s North County Division, 325 S. Melrose Drive, Vista. Meeting by Zoom or at my San Diego office doesn’t change the court. I confirm filing and jurisdiction requirements at intake.
Generally, at least one spouse must have lived in California for six months and in the county for three months before filing for divorce. California also requires at least six months before marital status can end. When that period starts depends on how the case is filed, and I’ll explain which applies to you. The Carlsbad and North County page covers the neighboring communities and where each files.
Why I practice this way
Earlier in my career I represented clients in court. I saw how often litigation deepened conflict and drained what a family had built, and that is why I focus on mediation.
Today I help couples resolve their divorce outside the courtroom. I don’t represent clients in contested litigation.
As your mediator I’m neutral and don’t represent either of you individually. You’re each welcome to have your own attorney review the agreement. If you want advice for only one spouse, I also work separately as a consulting attorney, after a conflict check. I can’t mediate and advise one side in the same case.
Flat-fee mediation through judgment
My divorce mediation packages are flat-fee, with a defined scope. The fee covers the meetings specified in your mediation agreement, preparation and revision of your marital settlement agreement, and drafting and filing the required court forms from opening the case, when needed, through judgment.
If you need additional mediation time beyond the included meetings, it is billed at the hourly rate stated in your agreement. We go over the scope, the rates and any other anticipated charges before you begin.
Some cases need a separate retirement division order or help from an appraiser, business valuator or tax advisor. We discuss how that work will be arranged and any additional fees before proceeding. I offer a discount on mediation fees for active-duty service members.
We can meet at my office at 9820 Willow Creek Road, Suite 410, San Diego, by Zoom, or a mix of both.
Common questions
Do you have an office in Encinitas?
No. My office is at 9820 Willow Creek Road, Suite 410, San Diego, off I-15 at Carroll Canyon Road. You can meet me there, use Zoom, or combine the two. Video meetings make it easier to take part around school pickups, work, or living in different homes.
Do we need to agree on custody before we start?
No. You can begin with different ideas about the schedule. We work through your children’s routines, each parent’s availability and the decisions you need to make, and Mary can join when schedules and communication need more attention. Both of you do need to be willing to take part.
Can we plan around the children’s current school?
Yes. We look at the school run, childcare, transportation and the cost of homes that make the schedule workable, and the plan should say what happens if a parent later proposes a move or school change. Keeping the same school is a goal we evaluate together, not an outcome I can promise.
What if we agree on weekdays but disagree about summer?
We work on the unresolved pieces without reopening what you already agree on. Summer camps, work hours, travel, notice and holiday priorities all get clear terms, along with how you’ll communicate when plans change.
Can mediation begin after one of us has filed?
Yes. Filing doesn’t prevent mediation. I review the existing case, any orders and the open issues so we know the next steps, and if a hearing is already scheduled we deal with what needs attention while you work toward an agreement.
Talk about the decision affecting your children’s routine
A free consultation is a chance to explain the housing or parenting question you’re trying to resolve and see whether mediation fits. Call 858-293-1410 or schedule online.