At times, divorce and other family law matters in Portland, OR can be resolved without the expense, time, and stress of lengthy courtroom proceedings. Involving a professional mediator who encourages productive communication between disputing parties, mediation takes a collaborative approach to a disagreement. Divorce mediation allows disputing parties to retain more control over proceedings – and their outcome. Rather than lawyers and judges making decisions regarding custody or divorce, the parties themselves can reach mutually acceptable agreements that are in their best interests.
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In determining whether mediation is right for you (or if it will be required in your case), you may find it helpful to review the pros and cons of this collaborative approach to family law disputes.
Anthony Stuart joined the Levine Law Center team in 2019 and is admitted to practice law in Oregon and Florida (presently inactive). He started his legal career in Florida and first started practicing family law alongside a complex business and family immigration law practice. After moving to Oregon in 2015, Anthony established a new law practice dedicated to working with small to medium-sized enterprises on regulatory matters, governmental affairs, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.
Mediation can offer several key benefits. For example:
When mediation is not required by the court, it is completely voluntary. That means that both parties must agree to take this approach. Additionally, parties may find that, even under a mediator’s skilled guidance, they cannot reach agreements regarding their dispute. At that point, they may need to go through with court proceedings.
Should we as the mediator not be able to resolve your issues and litigation is needed, we as the mediator will not be able to represent either you or your spouse.
Divorce mediation offers a collaborative and cost-effective approach to resolving disputes and reaching agreements in a divorce. Our experienced Portland mediation lawyers at Levine Law Center LLC can guide you through the entire process, helping you understand the steps involved and what to expect.
Key aspects of the divorce mediation process include:
By choosing divorce mediation, you can take control of the outcome and work towards a mutually beneficial resolution, all while avoiding the stress and expense of a lengthy court battle.
Levine Law Center offers a transparent, straightforward cost to mediation.
We offer a full-day mediation session for a flat fee of $5,000. As part of this, we as the mediator will also review any materials sent prior to mediation (e.g., we typically will want a confidential statement from each side regarding the issue(s) that they believe are in dispute). We also like to review any critical financial documents ahead of time, too. If the marriage has children, we like to understand their ages, extra-curricular interests and schedule, and also the parents’ work schedules.
Although it is not mandatory, if we reach full resolution at mediation, we strongly urge the parties to allow us to draft the divorce paperwork. We have that ready for review and signature within one week. After review by each party and signatures, we can file it with the court and will typically have you divorced within two weeks thereafter. We do this for a flat fee of $3,000, including any and all court filing fees.
At Levine Law Center LLC, we believe that every client deserves personalized attention and exceptional legal representation. With a team-oriented approach, extensive experience, and flexible payment options, we are committed to addressing your unique legal needs. Whether it’s protecting your business, family, or future, we’re here to deliver results that matter to you and your loved ones.
Thus, from start to finish, the total cost to get the divorce will cost $8,000. Keep in mind that even low conflict but contested, litigated divorces can easily cost $10,000 – $20,000 per side, so going the route of a divorce-settled mediation invariably saves people a tremendous amount of money (not to mention time and stress).
Divorce often ends up being so costly because spouses who can’t agree on a settlement spend a lot of time in court to resolve their disputes. This means that they’re paying their attorneys by the hour for many more hours than it might take to settle a divorce through mediation.
Remember: Less time spent with attorneys in court can mean spending far less on the average divorce.
Although Oregon used to have a law that required couples to wait 90 days after filing for divorce, no such wait is necessary anymore. This means that if a couple chooses to pursue mediation and has an uncontested divorce, they could settle in a matter of weeks.
This is much faster than a contested divorce involving litigation, which can take six months to a year or longer to complete.
Mediation is a collaborative approach to resolving disputes where a professional mediator facilitates communication between the parties to help them reach mutually acceptable agreements.
Mediation offers several benefits over courtroom proceedings, including cost-effectiveness, confidentiality, faster resolution, and the ability for parties to retain more control over the outcome.
Mediation is not mandatory in Portland, Oregon. It is a voluntary process, and both parties must agree to participate.
If the parties cannot reach an agreement through mediation, they may need to pursue court proceedings to resolve their dispute.
The divorce mediation process in Portland involves several key steps, starting with an initial consultation to assess the situation. This is followed by open communication between both parties, identification of issues and interests, negotiation with the help of a neutral mediator, and finally, drafting and finalizing a comprehensive agreement. This process is designed to help parties reach a mutually beneficial resolution efficiently and amicably.
Divorce mediation in Portland is a confidential process, which means that the discussions and agreements made during mediation are not made public. This privacy is a significant advantage for those who prefer to handle their family law matters discreetly, without the details becoming part of the public record, as they often do in traditional courtroom litigation.
Yes, divorce mediation in Portland can be significantly less expensive than litigation. The collaborative nature of mediation typically requires less time than courtroom hearings, which means lower legal fees. Levine Law Center offers a flat fee for mediation services, providing a cost-effective alternative to the potentially high costs of a contested divorce that goes to court.
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Preparing for divorce mediation is often key to reaching a settlement as quickly as possible and without incurring any unnecessary expenses.
The first thing you’ll need to do is assemble all the necessary paperwork that could be relevant to your divorce. This will include recent pay stubs, W2 or 1099 forms, an itemized list of assets (bank accounts, retirement accounts, real estate, etc.). You will also need to list your debts (credit cards, mortgage, auto loans, student loans, etc.).
You should also set goals for the mediation process. This means articulating what you and your spouse want to walk away from the mediation process with. Goals can include how assets and debts should be divided, how much parenting time each spouse gets with children, and other important objectives.
Once you and your spouse feel fully prepared to begin the divorce mediation process, it’s time to seek the assistance of a mediator like someone from Levine Law Center who can help.
Like most family law matters, you should not begin mediation without seeking professional counsel. Our Portland divorce mediation lawyers can talk to you about your goals and what may be required in your case. At Levine Law Center, we believe in taking a fresh approach to our clients’ divorce, custody, and other family law cases. We work closely with our clients to protect their best interests and pursue the best possible outcome in their individual cases.
Contact us at (503) 208-3459 today for more information and insight from Portland, OR divorce mediators near you.
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We are conveniently located off of I-205. Our attorneys will come out to meet clients that live in Washington and Yamhill Counties.
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