There's something worth noting about the fact that Marla Keenan-Rivero's office sits six blocks from the Sonoma County Superior Court's Family Law Division. She spent 20+ years in that system—as one of the most experienced family law litigators in Northern California, eventually managing partner at one of the region's largest firms. She knows what happens inside those courtrooms better than almost anyone practicing in Sonoma County. Which is precisely why she provides mediation services.

Mediation, she concluded after watching thousands of family law cases play out in litigation, produces better outcomes: faster, cheaper, more private, and far more likely to result in agreements that actually hold. Her practice is now entirely dedicated to it. For Santa Rosa families navigating some of the most consequential decisions of their lives, having that level of experience on the other side of the table makes a real difference.

Mediation for the full range of family law issues—property, business interests, support, and custody—handled by a 24-year attorney who knows exactly how Sonoma County's family court would approach your case. Learn More

Divorce mediation for Santa Rosa couples at every stage—from those ready to settle cooperatively to those navigating high-asset complexity involving Fountaingrove real estate, Railroad Square businesses, or retirement accounts built over long careers. Learn More

Parenting plans built around your children's actual lives—their schools, their activities, their routines in Santa Rosa's neighborhoods—not a generic schedule imposed by a judge who's meeting your family for the first time.

Link: https://familylawandmediator.com/child-custody-mediation-santa-rosa

Child support agreements that reflect your family's real financial picture—business income, equity compensation, variable pay—not just a guideline formula applied to last year's W-2. Built with enough specificity to prevent future disputes. Learn More

Spousal support agreements for long marriages, significant income disparity, and career sacrifice—negotiated by an attorney who has argued these cases in the Sonoma County courthouse six blocks away. Learn More

For Santa Rosa divorces involving businesses, multiple properties, professional practices, retirement accounts requiring QDROs, or significant investment portfolios. Marla's 24-year litigation background is most differentiated in exactly these cases. Learn More

The Sonoma County Superior Court is not a bad court. It's a busy one. Family law cases in Santa Rosa regularly take 12–18 months to reach a final hearing, and contested divorce can consume $40,000–$100,000 in attorney fees.

There's also a layer of financial complexity unique to Santa Rosa since 2017. The Tubbs Fire reshaped entire neighborhoods. Families in Coffey Park and Fountaingrove rebuilt on insurance proceeds, took on new mortgages, formed partnerships to reconstruct—and some of those families are now navigating divorce with an asset picture that didn't exist five years ago.

For the professionals and business owners concentrated in Rincon Valley, the Wikiup corridor, and Oakmont, mediation isn't a fallback. It's the smarter first choice—especially when the mediator is a 20+ -year family law attorney who will spot every legal issue before it becomes a problem.

Marla's office is at 438 1st Street, in the heart of downtown Santa Rosa. For Santa Rosa clients, that means no commute, no courthouse parking, and sessions that happen on your schedule. Most families complete their entire mediation in 2–4 sessions. The first consultation is free.

1.    Free consultation — phone, video, or in person at her Santa Rosa office

2.    Structured session(s) — half-day or full-day, at her office or via secure video

3.    Memorandum of Understanding — prepared after each session, documenting all agreements

4.    Independent counsel review — each party's attorney reviews before signing

5.    Filed with Sonoma County court — your agreement becomes a binding court order

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