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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

How Does Divorce Mediation Work?

You are not happy in your marriage, we understand, but you don't need to be unhappy during and after your divorce. Tom Walley, can help you through the process so you can come to an amicable agreement.

Meeting With The Mediator

Mr. Walley can meet with both parties in person where he will facilitate a civil discussion about the assets and other important parts of the marriage. He will help you weigh what is important and figure out how best to divide the things important to you both.

Mediating A Divorce Agreement

What is mediation all about? The goal of divorce mediation is for both parties to come to an agreement on what they want and are willing to give up. Once an agreement is made, it is drawn up into a contract that both parties sign. It should cover the items discussed with the mediator.

Filing Divorce Papers

Tom Walley and his staff will file divorce papers with the appropriate court. Now you can go on with your life with the peace of mind that comes from well made plans.

How much does divorce mediation cost?

This will vary based on how long it takes to come to an agreement and how many items are in dispute. Remember, going to court will always cost more.

Newport Beach Divorce Mediator

Tom Walley can remove some of the pain of divorce by making it easy for you. Contact Tom Walley today!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Say NO to Divorce Court

It would be easier to sit down with experienced professionals and talk about what's best for all involved. Medaition works best for family law because it avoids going to court altogether. Less time, less cost and less conflict.
  • Mediation for divorce happens in private.
  • No strangers watching in family court.
  • Tax records are kept out of the public eye. 
Use a family law mediator to help work out what's best for your family. Call Tom Walley at (949) 391-9109 for a FREE 30 minute consultation.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Need an Experienced Family Law Mediator?

Tom Walley has over 40 years of experience in handling all aspects of Family Law , including Dissolution of Marriage, premarital agreements, step-parent adoptions, Legal Separations, custody disputes, and marital separation agreements.

Use a family law mediator to help work out what's best for your family. Call Tom Walley at (949) 391-9109 for a FREE 30 minute consultation.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

How Does Mediation Work?

The parties meet with Mr. Walley in his law office, and discuss their issues, assets, and liabilities. Based on those initial discussions, the areas of agreement and of disagreement are identified. As to the agreed-upon items, Mr. Walley will advise the parties as to the appropriate next steps to take (e.g. divide bank accounts, change title to properties from joint tenancy to tenants in common, write up a custodial schedule, etc.). 

As to the open issues, a process will be established to best deal with those, and ultimately to resolve them.

What are the fees and costs? 

Due to the uncertainty of knowing how long the process will take and how many meetings it will take, Mr. Walley charges his time by the hour. His rate is dependent on the assets and issues involved.

How is confidentiality maintained? 

All meetings are held in the privacy of Mr. Walley's office or conference room. Unlike the courtroom, no strangers are walking in and out, and there are no clerks or court reporters to listen in on your discussions and private matters. No recordings are made of the conversations. And, due to the laws relating to mediations, all discussions are privileged (meaning they are inadmissible in court) so anything said during mediation can never be revealed.

Once agreement is reached, what happens? 

Mr. Walley and his staff prepare all necessary paperwork to be filed in court. Neither of you ever have to go to court as all of the processing is done by Mr. Walley.

If agreement is not reached, what happens? 

By law, Mr. Walley, once he has acted as your mediator, cannot act as the attorney for either of you. Therefore, if one or more issues are not resolved, the parties will each need to retain their own attorney or will need to act as their own attorney (not recommended).

Monday, November 26, 2012

Seeking Alternatives to Divorce Court?


Filing for divorce is a long complicated legal procedure. The costs of paying divorce lawyers can spiral out of control. Do you want the stress of standing before a judge?

There is an Alternative to Divorce Court

Sit down with an experienced professional and talk about what's best for all involved. This type of solution is called a divorce mediation or a collaborative divorce. Avoid going to court altogether. 

  • Less time, less cost and less conflict.
  • Mediation for divorce happens in private.
  • No strangers watching in the courtroom.
  • Tax records are kept out of the public eye.

Tom Walley

Mr. Walley is a Divorce Attorney with over 40 years of experience in California divorce court. He informs his clients on family law, mediates custody disputes, files divorce papers and can provide the services of divorce lawyers.

Call (949) 391-9109 for a free 30 minute consultation.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Your Family Law Mediator

Use a family law mediator to help work out what's best for your family. Call Tom Walley at (949) 955-1100 if you need help deciding: 
  • Child Custody
  • Divorce
  • Child Support
  • Other Family Law  
There is an Alternative to Court

It would be easier to sit down with experienced professionals and talk about what's best for all involved. Medaition works best for family law because it avoids going to court altogether. Less time, less cost and less conflict.
  • Mediation for divorce happens in private.
  • No strangers watching in family court.
  • Tax records are kept out of the public eye.

Call (949) 391-9109 to setup a Free 30 minute consultation.

Tom Walley services Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Orange County and the greater Los Angeles area.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Why Mediate?

The reasons can be summarized in the four "C's": Cost, Convenience, Conflict, and Confidentiality. 

1. Cost - going to court to resolve issues is no longer a viable option. With funding being cut by the State, the courts are over-loaded to the point of being ineffectual. Consequently, even though your issue might only take a half an hour to try, you could be at court for four to five hours waiting for your turn - all the time with your attorney's meter running. On the other hand, with mediation you simply go to Mr. Walley's office at a set time and begin the process. There is no "down time," which saves a lot of money. 

2. Convenience - the meetings are held at Mr. Walley's office in an informal setting, which furthers the chances of resolving issues. Rules of Evidence do not apply, so you can tell your side of the story without interruption and without having to structure your comments to fall within admissible testimony. That way, the real truth can come out, which often does not happen in court. (While you may "know" something, you may not be able to prove it in court.) 

3. Conflict (or, rather, the avoidance of Conflict) - this may be the key benefit of mediation: Because mediating is not adversarial, you do not have to take hard-line positions hoping that the judge will give you some of what you ask. In mediation, you can go into the causes of your break-up and the effects on the children, while in court the causes are not admissible because California is a no-fault state (unless the conduct affects the children). Often, a frank discussion of the causes of dissolution is very beneficial to one or both parties in the mediation. If you have children, then it is essential to preserve a "civil" relationship with your ex-spouse, so you can attend games, graduations, and weddings with each other without embarrassing scenes or arguments. That is the only way your children will have a chance of growing up with some sort of normalcy. 

4. Confidentiality - the mediation sessions are conducted in private, so you do not have strangers wandering in and out of the courtroom while you are testifying. Your financial and tax records remain private. Your disputes remain private, so you are free to discuss them in detail, as opposed to having to testify about them in a public setting. So, as you can see, mediation is the only logical way to end your marriage.