A contested divorce in Sonoma County takes 12 to 24 months and costs $30,000 to $100,000 per party when attorneys are actively litigating. It plays out in a public courthouse, in front of a judge who is meeting your family for the first time and has 30 minutes to understand what took you 20 years to build. Divorce mediation in Santa Rosa with Marla Keenan-Rivero is the alternative: private, typically complete in 60–90 days, a fraction of the cost, and producing an agreement that both parties helped design. After 24 years as a Sonoma County family law litigator, she brings an unmatched understanding of how these cases resolve—and why mediation almost always produces a better result.

Santa Rosa divorces involving businesses, professional practices, Fountaingrove real estate, retirement accounts from long careers, or the complex post-fire financial situations that have emerged since 2017 require a mediator whose depth of knowledge matches the complexity of the case. Most divorce mediators have backgrounds in social work or general mediation training. Marla has 24 years as a family law litigator—managing partner at one of the region's largest firms. She knows what a Santa Rosa judge would do with your case, and she uses that knowledge to help both parties reach an agreement that is legally sound, financially rational, and in both parties' long-term interests.

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.