Services

Mediation

SDFS offers a unique approach to family law mediation in that we offer co-mediation with a mental health professional and a family law attorney. All of our staff are trained as Massachusetts family law mediators. Mediation is a voluntary and confidential process in which parties elect to use a neutral third party to help them resolve their disputes. Mediation further allows parties to control the pace of their dispute resolution and avoid costly litigation. By working with both a family law attorney and a mental health professional in crafting your mediated agreements, you can be sure that both your legal and personal needs are met. Parties have worked with our clinical mediators to craft child-focused parenting plans and develop co-parenting strategies while simultaneously working with a family law attorney to properly address the underlying legal issue, whether that be divorce, modification, or other legal need.

Collaborative Law

SDFS offers both collaborative lawyers and collaborative coaches. Collaborative law is a team-based process to family law litigation in which all parties agree to dispute resolution without court involvement. Unique to collaborative law, this process requires the attorneys to withdraw from representation if either party seeks court intervention.  This process typically involves a mental health professional as a collaborative coach to address the emotional toll that dispute resolution may have on the parties. Often parties engaged in collaborative law will also mutually hire experts to help guide them on complex issues, such as taxes or future financial planning. These hired experts are neutral third parties and must also withdraw if the dispute goes to litigation.