Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator Beth Reineke

Pre-suit” divorce mediation is a non-adversarial alternative to divorce litigation. It is a voluntary process chosen by couples who have decided to divorce but want to avoid the financial and emotional costs of retaining attorneys and litigating their disputes. A couple who chooses pre-suit divorce mediation works with their mediator to resolve all their divorce and separation issues.

A divorce mediator is a neutral third party with special training to assist divorcing couples in discussing and resolving issues related to their separation and divorce. An attorney mediator has the added advantage of legal training and experience. When an agreement is reached, Attorney Beth Reineke can assist you by drafting your divorce agreement and court documents for filing with the court.

Attorney Reineke has the training, experience and expertise necessary to not only mediate your case, but to also to draft a custom settlement agreement tailored to your families’ specific needs. Non-attorney mediators typically rely on cookie cutter form agreements or must refer the parties out to attorneys to draft their agreement and court documents.

During the first mediation session, the couple will meet with Attorney Reineke and discuss the issues related to the parties’ separation and divorce. The parties will determine whether they have enough information in order to settle all relevant issues at that time or whether additional information needs to be obtained before a settlement can be reached. If necessary, additional mediation sessions will be scheduled. If not, Attorney Reineke will take a deposit to draft the parties’ settlement agreements and court documents, and a final mediation session will be scheduled. Once the marital settlement agreement is drafted it will be emailed to both parties for review before their final mediation session. At the final mediation session the parties will review, revise and sign their settlement agreement and court documents.

Private mediation sessions with unrepresented couples are usually set in 2-3 hour blocks. Most couples resolve their disputes in their first session with the mediator, but some couples require additional mediation sessions to work out their differences. Once a couples’ disputes have been resolved, it usually takes about 2 weeks for Attorney Reineke to draft the divorce agreement and return it to the couple for review prior to the final mediation session.

In Florida even if the parties reach a full settlement on all issues their court documents and marital settlement agreement must be filed with the court and at least one party must appear before a judge at a short court hearing.

No case is too complicated to be settled using mediation. If there are complex issues which need to be resolved the parties and the mediator may consult with outside experts such as accountants, appraisers, financial planners, psychologists and even attorneys during the process.

Florida law says that no one can disclose what is said at mediation or use what is said at mediation as evidence in court without the consent of both parties. There are only three exceptions to this rule. Allegations of child abuse, allegations of elder abuse and statements of intent to commit a violent crime are not confidential communications and your mediator (just like your doctor or lawyer) is required by law to report these types of statements to the proper authorities.

No. You do not need to file for divorce to come to mediation if both parties agree to pre-suit divorce mediation. Suppose all of the issues related to your separation and divorce are resolved at mediation. In that case, Attorney Reineke will draft your marital settlement agreement for you and all your court documents, and you can then file an uncontested divorce without attorneys.

No. All mediators are neutral facilitators. According to Florida law, they cannot represent either spouse in court, so they cannot file your court documents for you or attend the final hearing. However, once a settlement is reached, Attorney Reineke will prepare your marital settlement agreement and all the court documents you must file. She will help you with your financial affidavit, and if you have children, she will prepare your child support guideline calculations for you. She will explain the court process, tell you where to file your paperwork, and tell you what to expect when you attend the uncontested final hearing. Most final hearings are about 5-10 minutes long, and having an attorney represent you at the final hearing is unnecessary.

Once a divorce case has been filed, mediation can still assist the parties in identifying and resolving their disputes, and mediation is often required before a hearing can be scheduled. Attorney Reineke mediates contested divorce cases involving parties and their attorneys. Different hourly rates apply, and most mediations are scheduled in half or full day increments. If you are represented by an attorney, check with your attorney. If you or your attorney would like to schedule private mediation, please ask them to contact us.

Yes. Attorney Reineke has been working with divorcing couples for years and she has received special training as a mediator to enable her to assist couples who are emotional but who still want to work out their differences peaceably.

Many mediating couples are amicable and work well together in joint mediation sessions. Others are very emotional and cannot negotiate face to face. These couples prefer to work separately with their mediator, and the mediator acts as a go between.

Yes. While we strongly encourage clients to find a way to have at least one face to face mediation with the mediator, we realize this is not always possible and mediations can be conducted by video-conferencing or telephone conferencing.

It is rare to agree on all but one or two issues, but if this happens your time in mediation will not have been wasted. A partial agreement can be prepared on all settled issues, and you can either retain attorneys to litigate the remaining issues or take additional time to think about the unsettled issues and come back to mediation.

No, pre-suit divorce mediation is not for everyone. Pre-suit divorce mediation presumes that both parties are going to be truthful about their income, assets and liabilities and that both parties have equal bargaining power. If there has been a history of domestic violence, having attorney representation at mediation may be important to equalize the bargaining power of both parties. Similarly, if there are hidden assets or income, on-going waste of assets, or if either party is incurring substantial debts, the protections afforded by legal representation and the court system may be your best option. You should consult with an attorney specializing in family law before coming to mediation if any of these circumstances apply to your situation.