Mediation & Colaborative Law

Richard F. Sperling

Most divorces are a process of proposal and negotiation.  Your attorney should discuss with you your personal and financial circumstances.  We then can formulate a settlement proposal for the other party and/or their attorney to consider.  Negotiations follow, and usually a settlement is reached by negotiations between attorneys.

Some divorcing parties instead choose Mediation with a neutral mediator.  In such cases, the mediator meets with both parties in person or by zoom.  The parties usually attend without their attorneys present, but sometimes attorneys accompany their clients in mediation sessions.  The mediator helps the parties discuss and resolve their issues so that an agreement can be reached. 

When mediating, some spouses feel that they have more control over the process.  Sometimes this process is less expensive overall than “lawyering up.”

Richard Sperling has been a divorce mediator for many years.  He trained as a mediator at the Strauss Institute at Pepperdine Law School.  He has taught mediation at the college, graduate school, and law school levels.

Collaborative law is another option for divorcing parties.  In the most common collaborative process, the parties discuss their case and reach agreement through a series of in-person meetings with their attorneys in attendance.  In some cases, the parties retain a financial expert, and/or a therapist to participate.  In a written agreement, the parties agree to act collaboratively and fully disclose information with transparency.  In addition, the attorneys customarily agree in writing to withdraw from the case if a settlement is not reached and a court hearing is necessary.  In this way, the parties are assured the attorneys have no incentive for the case to proceed to court.

Richard is a trained collaborative law professional.  He is experienced using the collaborative law approach to resolve divorce cases.

If mediation or collaborative law is of interest to you, contact us to discuss these optional processes.

Choose RFS Sperling & Associates
Your Local Family Law Expert

Contact Us Today

Looking for an experienced California divorce attorney or family law attorney? Get in touch to discuss your case.

Call

818.991.0345

Address

2393 Townsgate Rd, Suite 201
Westlake Village, CA 91361

Hours

Mon-Fri 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sat-Sun Closed