Get Started with Mediation (No Kids)
Through mediation with Mitch Tacy Family Law Attorney & Mediator, you can significantly minimize the financial and emotional cost of divorce. A mediated divorce is on your time frame and not the Courts. You and your spouse file as Co-Petitioners. Mitch completes all of your legal paperwork and you file for yourselves without an attorney, however your documents will reflect that they have been prepared by Mitch Tacy Family Law Attorney and Mediator.
Step by Step
The Mediation process begins with some initial paperwork and scheduling an appointment for both parties to meet together with Mitch Tacy. The staff at Mitch Tacy Family Law will provide you with step-by-step instructions to help you prepare for your mediation appointment. We provide checklists and detailed instructions for navigating the mediation process.
Determine first which spouse will be the Petitioner and which will be the Co-Petitioner. This information is required on all forms and must be consistent in all paperwork. In litigated divorce, the Petitioner is the one who files for divorce, Respondent is the spouse who has to respond to divorce papers. In a mediated divorce one spouse is the Petitioner, the other is the Co-Petitioner, there is no legal advantage to either party.
Keep a running list of things you have questions about for mediation. In his role as a neutral divorce mediator, Mitch can help you both with the knowledge of what is “fair and reasonable” in the eyes of the Court. If Mitch does not think the agreement is fair most likely neither will the Judge.
Financial Disclosures and Sworn Financial Statements
Understanding your legal obligations will help you to financially plan for the new normal of separate households. Every person divorcing in Colorado must submit a Sworn Financial Statement. The SFS is the financial foundation of what will be divided (assets and debts). The totals on the SFS are used in Court calculations for maintenance and child support. If you have investments and retirement accounts then you also need the Supporting Schedule. To prepare your SFS, you will refer to a variety of Financial Disclosure documents depending on your personal situation.
Making Decisions
Mitch Tacy Family Law will need the Sworn Financial Statement for each spouse, listing assets (real estate, cars, retirement etc.), and debts (credit cards, student loans, personal loans). This is the basis for spousal maintenance (if applicable). Items that you do not agree on, you list and give a short description of why you think the dispute should go your way on each issue – we call this your Position Statement.
Fees
Mitch charges a deposit of $825.00 payable by credit card online or you can mail a check to one of our offices. This initial fee covers preparation for your mediation and the two plus hours of in-person mediation with Mitch. The deposit, SFS Documents and Position Statements are all due at least 48 hours prior to your mediation appointment. With the information Mitch receives from you both he will prepare a spread sheet of your division of assets and debts for the mediation. If you need further mediation or would like Mitch to prepare all of your documentation he charges $275 per hour and can give you an estimate of how much time he needs to draft your agreement and necessary legal papers after your initial meeting.
Questions
Contact Dorian Ryan, Client Relations
Mitch Tacy Family Law Attorney & Mediator
mediation@tacylaw.com
970-214-8840
Mediation Forms
Client Intake Form
Tacy Law Private Mediation Agreement
JDF 1111 Sworn Financial Statement
JDF 1111SS Supporting Schedules for Assets
16.2 Disclosure Checklist of all forms required
