Phoenix Divorce Mediation

Our Customized Five-Step Mediation Process

Our mediation process, designed for efficiency and empathy in Central Phoenix, Arizona, aims to reduce both emotional and financial burdens during divorce and separation.

1. Initial Consultation at No Cost

Start your mediation journey with a complimentary consultation to address your concerns, provide a detailed timeline and cost analysis, and outline the benefits of mediation over traditional courtroom proceedings. This essential first step establishes the groundwork for a more amicable and cost-effective resolution.

2. Initiating the Mediation Process

In this initial phase, our mediators will introduce the streamlined rules and protocols of our mediation process, focusing on mutual respect, full transparency regarding all necessary information and documents, the welfare of any involved children, and the equitable resolution of all issues.

3. Thorough Analysis of Your Specific Circumstances

This stage delves deeply into your unique situation, examining your primary concerns, desired outcomes, educational and employment backgrounds, financial conditions, health statuses, and other pertinent details. Both parties are encouraged to provide all essential documentation and information to support a resolution that is fair, economically viable, and considerate.

4. Active Mediation Dialogue

During this critical stage, you and your partner engage with our mediator in a supportive environment to discuss and resolve all pertinent issues, including asset division, debt allocation, and arrangements for minor children, child support, and spousal maintenance. Sessions typically last between 4 to 8 hours, varying by case complexity and whether minor children are involved. Our mediators, with their extensive expertise in law, psychology, and mediation, facilitate effective communication, suggest diverse resolution strategies, and provide crucial legal, financial, and tax information to aid in well-informed decision-making.

5. Finalizing the Settlement Agreement

The final step involves formalizing all decisions from the mediation into a legally binding settlement agreement. All court documents are meticulously prepared to help you and your partner avoid any court appearances. Our comprehensive settlement agreements and legal documentation are carefully designed to achieve court approval and allow you to maintain control over the resolution process without the need for attorney involvement or court intervention.

Divorce Mediation in Phoenix, Arizona

Out-of-Court Solutions is a premier divorce mediation firm in Phoenix, Arizona, offering exceptional mediation services since 1995. Our team of mediators, with their profound expertise in law, business, and psychology, assists couples going through legal separation or divorce. They ensure that each party’s views, feelings, concerns, and objectives are fully expressed and respected, fostering an environment of mutual respect throughout the mediation process.

Divorce Mediation Services

Our mediators’ backgrounds in law and psychology play a crucial role in ensuring that your divorce or legal separation is handled smoothly and cost-effectively. They provide a comprehensive understanding of the legal, financial, and parental aspects concerning any minor children involved in your case, guiding you through critical discussions and negotiations toward a legally binding settlement.

The Divorce Mediation Process

Our mediation approach walks you through every rule and procedure, ensuring that you and your spouse are aligned and informed. Both parties will have the opportunity to discuss their perspectives and goals for the mediation uninterrupted, including matters related to property division, debts, parenting, and support. Once all goals are defined and options considered, our Phoenix-based mediators facilitate finding a mutually agreeable resolution. They will also prepare a thorough settlement agreement and all necessary court documents, ensuring you both avoid court appearances altogether. This method not only saves time, money, and frustration but also maintains privacy and reduces stress. Out-of-Court Solutions has successfully aided over 95% of its clients in Arizona to resolve their disputes efficiently and with minimal distress.

In addition to core mediation services, Out-of-Court Solutions in Arizona provides “flat-fee” document preparation services with “as-needed” mediation. This option is ideal for couples who have reached consensus on most aspects but require legal expertise to finalize their agreement, ensuring that all legal, financial, and child-related aspects are correctly addressed. This service aims to cover all necessary bases with minimal time, cost, and hassle, providing peace of mind during the transition.

Legal Separation

Legal separation ends community property rights and obligations but preserves the marital relationship. For example, when legally separated, each spouse’s income is his or her sole and separate property, and one spouse can no longer obligate the other for any debt he or she incurs. Divorce, on the other hand, (whether in Arizona or in any other state) ends the marital relationship as well as community property rights and obligations.

Mediation of legal separation occurs in the same way and typically involves the same issues as divorce mediation. Couples work together with a professional mediator to reach agreements concerning division of assets (such as real estate, investment accounts, and retirement benefits), allocation of debts, child and/or spousal support, and parenting arrangements for minor children.

Stop Litigating, Start Mediating

It’s never too late to stop the increased hostility and substantial cost of litigating with adversarial lawyers. With his 20+ years as a professional divorce mediator and backgrounds in law and psychology, regardless of the status of your court case there is a 95% probability that our Mediator will help you completely resolve your matter quickly and expensively.

We offer a free consultation where we answer your questions, detail how our mediation process works and give you a written time and cost estimate.

Change Child Support Amount

We make it easy to change a previously ordered child support amount through our flat-fee Child Support Modification program.

• Step One: You complete our Information Form and Fee Agreement.
• Step Two: We email our easy to use Questionnaire for you and your ex-spouse to complete and return to us.
• Step Three: We prepare all required Court Documents.

Optional Mediation: If there are any disagreements between you and your ex-spouse, our Mediator facilitates settlement of them on a pro-rated hourly fee basis.

Change Custody, Child Support, Time-Sharing, and/or All Other Child-Related Matters

We make it easy to change child support, custody, time-sharing, and/or any other minor child-related matters.

• Step One: You complete our Information Form and Fee Agreement.
• Step Two: We email our easy to use Questionnaire for you and your ex-spouse to complete and return to us.
• Step Three: We prepare all required Court Documents.

Optional Mediation: If there are any disagreements between you and your ex-spouse, our Mediator facilitates settlement of them on a pro-rated hourly fee basis.

Coparenting Flat Fee Program

We make it easy for unmarried parents to resolve all custody, child support and other child-related Coparenting matters quickly and inexpensively.

• Step 1: After you complete our Intake Form and Fee Agreement, we prepare and email you and your co-parent the court documents required to begin to establish parental rights and responsibilities.
• Step Two: We email you and your co-parent our easy to use Questionnaire that you and your co-parent can complete either together or separately, and then email back to us.
• Step Three: We prepare a legally binding comprehensive Coparenting Agreement plus all required final court documents.

Oliver Ross, JD*, PhD

Kimberlee Handy, Esq.

Kimberlee Handy utilizes her backgrounds in law, psychology, and family development to help divorcing or legally separating clients mediate their differences and reach their goals quickly, caringly, and inexpensively. Kimberlee’s years of experience in mediation greatly enhances a mediating couple’s ability to effectively and efficiently divide property, allocate debts, develop a parenting plan for any minor children, and devise appropriate support amounts.

Kimberlee is dedicated to providing mediating couples with personalized and professional problem-solving options and alternatives. She will do everything possible to make clients feel valued and respected while keeping them on track towards their goals.

Kimberlee is also “Of Counsel” to Out of Court Solutions. She is responsible for keeping all of Out of Court Solutions’ mediators and staff up to date on family law and ethical matters.

Ms. Handy is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, the Maricopa County Bar Association, the Maricopa County Association of Family Mediators – Ethical Chair, and the Central Arizona Estate Planning Council. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Arizona Summit Law School (formerly Phoenix School of Law), and her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in Psychology with a Minor in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University.