Pasadena/Glendale mediator John C. Juarez of Pamela Britton White Mediation Services gives clients control over their divorce to create the best settlement for everyone.

For some people, the divorce process can be confusing and frightening. If you and your spouse go to court, you hand over all final decisions to a system that doesn't fully understand your best interests. But it doesn't have to be that way. That's why mediation — negotiating a mutually acceptable agreement with your spouse under the guidance of a professional mediator — has become an acclaimed alternative method of divorce settlement.

"I like the empowering nature of mediation. The most powerful thing about it is the self-determination it gives people. A mediator facilitates the process by letting the parties decide together how they want to settle," says John C. Juarez. "We prefer encouraging people to be at their best during a difficult life transition, rather than advocating for one side against the other," he says.

Juarez, an Ivy League graduate of Columbia University in New York City, who also completed his graduate course work at USC, School of Public Administration, has over 1,250 hours of mediation training. He received advanced divorce and family mediation training from the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Services, Centinela Family and Youth Services, Center for Dispute Resolution, Mosten Mediation Center, and from various highly experienced family mediation practitioners. He also received mediation training from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University's School of Law, the Institute for Mediation Studies, Western Justice Center and the California Academy of Mediation Professionals. Juarez has been a full-time, private mediator since 2003, and has recently been designated as an Advanced Practitioner Member of the Association for Conflict Resolution (formerly the Academy of Family Mediators).

According to Juarez, one of the key jobs as a mediator is to help people work together as partners, rather than adversaries, in finding a resolution. "The goal in mediation is to help people gain clarity about their own priorities, concerns, and choices, and also to understand the situation from each other's perspective," says Juarez. "It is important to make sure both parties understand what the other party wants — and why they want it."

Right from the start, Juarez empowers clients to decide for themselves where to go next. "We usually meet with couples first and give them a free orientation to the process," explains Juarez. "We try to give people as much information as possible to decide if mediation is what they want and if we are the mediator they want to work with." Juarez advises clients to keep the larger picture in mind: what's best for your family." There obviously was some love there at one time," says Juarez. "Build on that for the children's sake rather than start the new relationship as adversaries. Every dispute has different dynamics, and each one calls for different tools from the mediator," says Juarez. He believes it's very important that clients have complete clarity and understanding before they can make knowledgeable decisions. "We try to demystify the divorce process; we explain it in language that's comprehensible to people instead of legalese jargon," says Juarez.

Juarez keeps up with developments in the field of family law and is able to give clients information on their rights and obligations. Doing this allows him to derive a high level of satisfaction from his work. "It's extremely rewarding to help people transform their relationships," he says. "Helping them get through the emotional and legal process of divorce, so they can let go of the past, is really satisfying."

John C. Juarez of Pamela Britton White Mediation Services can help you resolve your divorce peacefully, creating the best settlement for all parties. Working cooperatively to resolve your issues rather then fighting it out in court will be easier on your emotions and your pocketbook — good news at this tough time.

For more information or to book an appointment with California divorce mediator, please contact:

850 Colorado Boulevard, Suite 102
Los Angeles, California 90041
Phone: (626) 796-1093 or (323) 340-1596
pasadenamediation@sbcglobal.net
www.PasadenaMediation.com

John C. Juarez has written the following articles:

FAQs:

• "What if we try divorce mediation and it doesn't work out? Do we have to go to court, or are there other options?"
• "My wife wants to mediate our case because she says we will save money by not having to hire lawyers. My friends say we will still need to have a lawyer involved. Who's right?"

Pamela Britton White has written the following articles:

FAQs:

• "How do I lay the groundwork for a healthy co-parenting relationship post-divorce?"

Articles:

•  Mediation Barriers: "Lack of preparation"