San Diego High Conflict Mediation Services

Taking a spouse to divorce court often results in spiraling costs that consume large portions of the marital estate. By using Brook Olsen Mediation Services, couples can choose to resolve their disputes through mediation and achieve an equitable outcome that fairly allocates resources and responsibilities. By choosing to mediate your divorce, you get to make the decisions regarding your future, and not leave it up to someone in the court system that has no idea of the needs of your family and your circumstances. 

Research shows that, compared with adversarial divorces, mediating couples are more likely to be satisfied with the outcome, likely to spend less time and money on their divorce, and less likely to need to return to court later. Couples who mediate their divorce save both financial and emotional costs of a litigated divorce.

California law protects communication made in mediation. For example, if either party makes a concession in mediation but later the couple chooses to litigate, that concession is not admissible in court. Thus, mediating parties are able to explore alternatives freely without the fear that any of their communications could be used against them should they need to litigate their divorce.

Couples who mediate their divorce do not need to appear in court and their financial information can remain private. If you choose to litigate in court, all of the documents submitted will be public to anyone who wants to see them.

During mediation a series of meetings is held until resolution is reached on all issues. Most sessions are held with the mediator(s) and both clients; however, at least one session is held with each of the clients separately. The content of separate sessions, as well as any other separate communications, remain confidential.

The issues to be negotiated usually include: 

1. Children’s supervision
Parenting plan
Method for updating the plan in the future

2. Children’s expenses
Child support: amount, duration, changes over time, wage assignment
Medical and dental insurance 
Uninsured medical and dental expenses
Educational expenses

3. Spousal support
Amount, duration, changes over time, wage assignment
Waiver
Reservation of jurisdiction by the court

4. Division of assets
Business or professional practice
Cars, boats, planes, R.V.’s, motorcycles
Pensions, profit sharing, annuities 
Stocks, bonds, notes 
Bank accounts
Furniture and furnishings 
Club memberships
Frequent flyer miles 
Family residence and other real property

5. Division of debts
Secured and unsecured loans
Credit cards
Educational loans

6. Insurance
Medical and dental
Life and casualty

7. Taxes
Current and past income taxes (refunds and liability)
Property taxes
Children as exemptions

The mediators' job is to help the clients explore options and obtain information, so that they can reach an agreement that will work for both of them. The mediators do not make the decisions; the clients do.

Brook Olsen also helps post divorce settlement parents to modify existing parenting plans and resolve ongoing disputes regarding child custody and visitation.