Family law cases in Santa Rosa move at the pace of a crowded court system—which means they move slowly, expensively, and with results that often surprise the people who spent thousands of dollars to get them. Marla Keenan-Rivero spent 24 years in that system before concluding that mediation produces better outcomes for almost every family that qualifies for it. Her Santa Rosa mediation practice addresses the full range of family law matters—property division, custody, support, business interests—in a private, professionally guided process that puts both parties in control of the outcome rather than handing it to a judge.

Six blocks from the Sonoma County Family Law Court, Marla's office has a particular advantage: she has appeared in that courthouse hundreds of times as a litigator. She knows how Santa Rosa judges approach contested cases, what they prioritize, and where litigation produces results that neither party anticipated. That knowledge informs every mediation session she conducts. For Santa Rosa families with complex finances—post-fire property, business interests, long careers with significant retirement accounts—having a mediator with this depth of courtroom experience is the difference between a mediation that actually resolves the issues and one that leaves critical items unaddressed.

Santa Rosa family law mediation covers all matters that would otherwise go to Sonoma County Superior Court: property division including real estate, retirement accounts, businesses, and investment portfolios; custody and parenting plan development; child support and spousal support calculations; and resolution of any other issues connected to a separation or divorce. Sessions are half-day ($3,000) or full-day ($6,000) and produce a written Memorandum of Understanding after each session. Most cases complete in 2–4 sessions. Each party's independent attorney reviews the final agreement before it is submitted to the court as a binding order.

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