Consulting Attorney for Mediation

What we are providing

We can work with you as a consulting or reviewing attorney if you are working with your ex in a mediation process. A consulting attorney will meet with you before or during mediation to discuss rights and options. A reviewing attorney comes into the process after terms have been discussed and resolved and reviews the agreement with you after the mediator has drafted it.

We see our role as supporting, and not undermining, the mediation process, so that if an issue is unresolved, we will recommend that you go back to mediation to discuss it, with the mediator’s assistance, rather than getting into an argument with your ex’s attorney.

Generally, we would read through the draft agreement, and then we would find a time to discuss it. As your reviewing attorney, we have four goals:

 - to answer any questions you may have

 - to make sure the agreement says what you intended it to say 

 - to make sure you understand what you are agreeing to (i.e., translating the legalese)

 - to make sure you are aware of your legal rights on issues where what you may have agreed to varies from the ‘plain vanilla’ application of the law.

Our work as a review attorney typically takes between 1.5 and 4 hours.