A contested divorce in Sonoma County typically takes 12 to 24 months. It plays out in a public courtroom, in front of a judge who has limited time to understand a marriage that took years to build, and each spouse pays a separate attorney to argue every issue. Divorce mediation in Santa Rosa is the alternative: private, usually complete in 60 to 90 days, far less expensive, and it ends with an agreement both of you helped write.

Marla Keenan-Rivero is a Santa Rosa divorce mediator and family law attorney with more than 25 years of experience, and managing partner at one of Northern California’s largest law firms. She mediates divorces from her downtown Santa Rosa office at 438 1st Street and by secure video.

Many people start by searching for a Santa Rosa divorce lawyer, assuming each spouse needs one to get through the process. In most cases, what they need is a mediator who understands family law as well as a lawyer does. That is what Marla offers.

As your mediator, Marla is neutral and does not represent either of you. What she brings is more than 25 years of knowing how Sonoma County family law cases resolve: how property is characterized and divided, how support is calculated, and how judges approach custody. She uses that knowledge to keep the negotiation realistic and to make sure the agreement you reach is legally sound and complete. Either of you can have your own attorney review the agreement before you sign it.

Santa Rosa divorce mediation resolves every issue in the dissolution of a marriage:

•    Property and debt division: the family home, Fountaingrove and other Sonoma County real estate, retirement accounts, pensions and investment portfolios

•    Businesses and professional practices: valuation, buyouts and how the business continues after the divorce

•    Spousal support: the amount, the duration and whether it can be modified later

•    Child custody and parenting plans: schedules, holidays, decision-making and how future changes will be handled

•    Child support: calculated under California’s guideline formula, with room to address costs the formula does not cover

•    Post-fire property issues: rebuilt homes, insurance proceeds and lots still in transition since 2017

1.    Consultation. You meet with Marla to confirm mediation fits your situation and to understand how the process will run.

2.    Financial disclosure. California requires both spouses to exchange full financial disclosures. Marla organizes this step so both of you work from the same information.

3.    Mediation sessions. Sessions are scheduled in half-day and full-day formats. Most Santa Rosa divorces resolve in two full-day sessions; complex financial cases may need more.

4.    Written agreement. Marla drafts a Marital Settlement Agreement covering every issue you have resolved.

5.    Court filing. The agreement is submitted to Sonoma County Superior Court and becomes part of your final judgment. Neither of you has to argue anything in front of a judge.

California’s six-month waiting period still applies: your marriage legally ends no earlier than six months after the divorce petition is served. Mediation means the agreement is usually finished well before that date. See the full mediation process.

In a litigated divorce, each spouse hires a lawyer, each lawyer advocates for one side, and disputes that do not settle go to a judge. In mediation, one neutral professional helps both of you reach agreement directly.

•    Control: you decide the outcome instead of a judge.

•    Privacy: sessions are confidential; a courtroom is public.

•    Time: weeks to a few months instead of one to two years.

•    Cost: one mediator shared between you instead of two attorneys billing separately.

•    Co-parenting: you finish with a working relationship instead of a court record of every disagreement.

Mediation is not the right fit for every case. If there is a history of domestic violence, or one spouse refuses to disclose assets honestly, Marla will tell you so at the consultation. For a fuller comparison, see divorce mediation vs. litigation.

•    More than 25 years of Sonoma County family law experience, including complex and high-conflict cases

•    Managing partner at one of Northern California’s largest law firms

•    Experience with business owners, professional practices and high-asset estates

•    Agreements written with enough detail to prevent future disputes over unclear language

•    In-person sessions in downtown Santa Rosa, or online mediation by video when one spouse has moved away

Santa Rosa divorce mediation addresses the complete dissolution of a marriage: property division (real estate, retirement accounts, businesses, investment portfolios, post-fire property), spousal support amount and duration, child custody and parenting plans if applicable, and child support. The process produces a comprehensive Marital Settlement Agreement reviewed by each party's independent attorney before submission to Sonoma County Superior Court. Marla coordinates with financial professionals and business valuators as needed. Most cases resolve in 2–4 sessions.

Call (707) 525-8800 or email Tidwell@perrylaw.net.