San Francisco Divorce Mediators

DIVORCE
Even if your relationship with your spouse is irreparable, you may still be able to complete your entire divorce in mediation. As an experienced divorce lawyer and trained neutral mediator, Chris Sawyer can help divorcing spouses file the necessary paperwork to start the divorce action, mediate contested issues, and prepare a Marital Settlement Agreement to finalize the divorce. If the divorce is already in progress, or if the parties have already retained counsel, parties can still save time and money by turning to mediation to complete the job.

CHILD SUPPORT
Because Child Support is governed by statutory guidelines, parents can sometimes come to agreements quickly and in a straightforward manner. Child Support gets more complicated when incomes fluctuate or when parenting plans have not yet been decided. Mediation is well suited to resolve child support disputes, whether they are simple or complex. Circumstances frequently change as children mature and mediation is well suited to resolve child support modifications efficiently.

CUSTODY
Although they almost always want what is best, it is not uncommon for parents to disagree on plans and goals for their children. As an experienced divorce attorney and trained mediator, Chris Sawyer can facilitate and encourage parents to agree on parenting plans and long term goals that satisfy the best interests of their children. Mediation is confidential and parents are given an opportunity to open communication and air their concerns in a safe and private environment.

PROPERTY DIVISION
One of the most significant issues in dissolving a marriage or domestic partnership is dividing the parties’ community assets.

If the parties agree on a settlement themselves in mediation, they have more options than the Court to craft a tailored-made property division that is satisfactory to both parties.

SPOUSAL SUPPORT
Actively litigating the issue of spousal support can lead to expensive and invasive trials. Even a modestly-sized spousal support claim can require extensive forensic accounting, discovery requests and depositions. In mediation, the parties can choose many creative and common-sense solutions to spousal support disputes that the Court is simply not entitled to order.

FAMILY LAW AGREEMENTS
Sawyer Mediation provides legal services for parties wishing to mediate and/or draft prenuptial agreements and postnuptial (marital) agreements. As an experienced divorce attorney, Chris Sawyer can take the parties’ agreement from negotiated concept to finalized document in a competent and professional manner.

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS
Dissolving a Domestic Partnership works much like a divorce and involves many of the same issues. Sawyer Mediation can assist partners in filing the necessary paperwork to start the action, mediate contested issues, and prepare a final agreement resolving all issues between the parties.

ABOUT THE MEDIATORS
Chris Sawyer is the owner and principal of Sawyer Mediation. Prior to focussing exclusively on mediation, Chris litigated family law matters in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley.

Larissa Chernock joined

Sawyer Mediation in 2012. Larissa has extensive experience in mediating complex family law matters and agreements.