Scott Levin’s Credentials and Experience
Good decisions need more than a mediator’s résumé.
You need someone who can explain the law, work through the numbers, and help your family turn hard conversations into an agreement that works in real life.
I’m Scott Levin, a California family law attorney, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®) and a Certified Mediator through Mediate.com. I’ve been a California attorney since 2004 and have guided families through more than 2,500 mediations. I bring those three disciplines to one table, and I draft your agreement myself.
The law, the numbers and the conversation
A divorce agreement has to do more than divide a list of assets. It needs clear terms, sound financial assumptions and a plan your family can actually follow.
Know what you’re agreeing to
I explain how California law treats property, support and parenting, so you can weigh options with the full picture. When you reach terms, I write the marital settlement agreement and prepare the uncontested court documents within the scope of our engagement.
Explore divorce mediationLook beyond today’s balance
A house buyout, pension division or support proposal can look fair on paper and play out differently over time. As a CDFA®, I help you test the assumptions and compare the long-term consequences before you decide.
Explore divorce financial consultingMake room for an agreement
You don’t have to arrive already agreeing. I help you both identify what still needs to be decided, understand the tradeoffs and keep going when a conversation gets stuck.
See how mediation worksCredentials you can check
You should be able to verify the qualifications behind the guidance you receive. These are the parts of my background most relevant to divorce and family mediation, with links to the organizations that confirm them.
What CDFA® means here. It is a divorce financial analysis credential from the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts. When I mediate for both spouses, it does not make me either spouse’s personal financial adviser.
- California State Bar · No. 234458Admitted in December 2004. Current license status is available from the State Bar of California.
- J.D. · University of Virginia School of LawThe legal foundation I use to explain your choices and draft clear, enforceable agreements.
- B.A., magna cum laude · New York University
- Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® · IDFASpecialized training in the financial side of divorce. Verify my CDFA® listing.
- Certified Advanced Practitioner Member · APFMThe Academy of Professional Family Mediators lists my current membership level. Good mediation takes its own training and practice, beyond knowing family law.
Certified Mediator — Mediate.comMy Mediate.com profile shows the Certified Mediator badge. Mediate.com also lists me with its Senior Mediator designation, which requires at least 100 hours of mediation training, 500 hours of mediation experience and ongoing continuing education. Both are mediation credentials, separate from my law license and my CDFA®.- Mediation training · Mosten Mediation TrainingTraining in the process of helping people resolve disputes, alongside the legal and financial subjects of divorce.
Certified Mediator — Mediate.comMy You work with me, not a stack of credentials.
No two families have the same property, children, history or priorities. I’ll ask what matters most to you, show you what needs attention and walk you through the terms before you sign. The goal is an agreement you understand, not a rush to fill in a template.
When parenting is a focus, Mary Levin, a Co-Parenting Specialist® and my co-mediator, can join us. She helps parents turn broad hopes for their children into schedules, communication plans and decisions that work day to day.
Learn about working with Scott and MaryOne important distinction
In mediation, I am neutral. I help both spouses reach an agreement, and I do not represent either spouse individually in that matter.
If you need advice just for yourself, I can serve as your consulting attorney in a separate matter, provided there is no conflict. I never switch between those roles in the same case.
When the house was the sticking point
In one matter, parents of four children had spent a year in litigation and could not sit in the same room. One parent wanted the children to stay in the family home but couldn’t afford a cash buyout. We looked at the rest of the property, found another way to balance the division and worked through a parenting plan. They reached an agreement.
That is one family’s story, not a promised or typical result. It shows why legal drafting, financial analysis and the ability to keep a hard conversation moving belong together.
Read the full case studyWhat I take responsibility for
I lead the mediation, explain the legal and financial choices and write the settlement agreement. When a case needs a separate valuation, tax opinion, retirement division order or individual legal advice, we bring in the right outside professional. You and your spouse remain the decision makers.
A few markers of the work
Awards and listings are one way to check a professional’s background. They can’t tell you whether someone will listen to your family. I hope you’ll consider both.
Super Lawyers · 2024–2027
Selected for Family Law in California in each of these years.
View the Super Lawyers listingLawdragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers
Selected by Lawdragon among leading family lawyers for work in family law and dispute resolution.
View the Lawdragon guideSan Diego Metro · Best Attorney 2026
Named among San Diego Metro’s Best Attorneys.
San Diego Business Journal · 2024
Recognized as a Leader of Influence in Law.
Read the announcementInterdisciplinary practice
I work alongside financial and parenting professionals, and I keep learning, because family law and the needs of families keep changing.
See more background and affiliationsQuestions I hope you ask me
You should feel comfortable with the person guiding this process. Degrees and awards are a start, but your first conversation should show you how that person will work with your family.
Ask me in a free 15-minute consultation- Who will actually mediate our sessions and draft the agreement?I lead your mediation and draft the agreement myself. Mary may join as co-mediator if you choose that approach for parenting issues.
- Are you a certified mediator?Yes. I’m a Certified Mediator through Mediate.com, which also lists me with its Senior Mediator designation. Separately, I’m a Certified Advanced Practitioner Member of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators. These are mediation credentials, distinct from my law license and my CDFA®, and you can check each one through the links above.
- How do you stay neutral if you’re also a lawyer?In mediation I serve both of you as a neutral. I give legal information and explain options, but I don’t act as either person’s attorney. You are always free to get independent advice.
- What if our finances or parenting questions are complicated?We organize the disclosures and issues, work through options together and bring in outside specialists when a question calls for their expertise.
- What does the fee cover?Before you sign, we explain the scope and the meetings your flat fee includes. Time beyond the included meetings is billed at the hourly rate stated in your mediation agreement, which also sets out any other charges and the payment schedule.
Let’s talk about your situation.
Tell me where you are in the process and what worries you most. In a free 15-minute consultation, we can talk through whether mediation, co-mediation or individual consulting is the right fit.
General information only. A consultation does not create an attorney-client relationship. When serving as a mediator, Scott is neutral and does not represent either party.