At Santa Clara Mediation, there is no up front “Retainer” required.  You pay $350 per hour for the time and services you use.  The more the parties can agree on outside of mediation, the less expensive the total cost of the divorce.  Parties pay at the beginning of each mediation session for the time they have booked with the mediator, and any other work outside of mediation they want completed by the mediator.  For example, a couple may want the mediator to complete and file the required forms with the court, have the mediator review documents outside of the mediation, or even bring in outside experts for consultation on more complicated matters.

In many cases, settlements can be completed in 1 to 3 sessions.  Each session is normally 2 to 4 hours long, or as long as the parties desire and are making progress.