Did you know that spouses who take their divorce cases all the way through trial in Utah typically spend a minimum of $50,000 on legal fees and costs? It is not uncommon for parties in contested divorces to spend well over $100,000 in fees and costs, which typically comes from the marital estate. You’ve probably heard this before and we don’t mind repeating it—but in those situations, only the attorneys win.
Unfortunately, drawn out litigation and even trial are sometimes necessary because one or both parties have unreasonable expectations or demands or worse, ulterior motives.
However, in cases where divorcing spouses are willing to work with each other to reach a custom-crafted, comprehensive resolution, a skilled neutral mediator can make the difference between success and failure. Utah Mediator Aaron Drake has been a student of, professor of (at the U.S. Air Force Academy), and practitioner of Alternative Dispute Resolution, including negotiation and mediation, since law school (where as a second-year law student, Aaron won the law school’s open negotiation competition). Aaron is available to handle Utah divorce mediation in cases where the parties are represented by their own attorneys or in cases where the parties have no attorney and simply wish to work with an objective, experienced, skilled mediator who can guide them through the process, draft the required documents, file the documents in court, and move the parties on with their lives as efficiently and fairly as possible.
Aaron’s mediation clients typically work with Aaron in multiple sessions over several weeks, rather than the more traditional one-day, overwhelming, 10-12 hour, exhausting single mediation session. Working over multiple sessions, the parties work closely with our paralegal team to prepare disclosures of documents, financial declarations, and position statements. It truly is a team-based and collaborative approach.
As a mediator and a practitioner, Aaron uses the proven, age-old "interest-based" approach to resolution, with emphasis on preserving relationships between the parties. We find that this is particularly important when minor children are involved. Children deserve parents who are high-functioning, good communicators, and equally committed to co-parenting. The foundation for such a relationship, if not already there, should begin with a mediation where the relationship is appropriately valued by the mediator and the parties. Aaron understands the case law and statutes governing family law cases and of course for military families, he is the go-to expert on the federal law that affects military assets and incomes in divorce. He also understands how trial tends to lay waste to a family's relationships and assets. Aaron believes that a rational, informed, and most importantly, credible work-through of the case provides the basis for compromise and commitment in mediation.
Aaron and the Good Attorney team also offer document preparation and finalization, meaning that when you and your counterpart reach an agreement through mediation, there’s nothing more that needs to be done with the court or any other outside party (unless of course one or both parties have their own attorneys during the mediation process). Aaron and his team will work with the parties to prepare all documents necessary for the filing with the court. Many of our mediation clients who used our document preparation service had their divorce decrees entered by the court within 2-3 days of filing!
Here are just a few of the qualifications Aaron brings to the mediation table: Mediator Aaron Drake
- Family law practitioner and litigator with significant experience in motion practice and trial
- Two decades in practice, having advised and counseled hundreds of clients on family law matters
- Expert on division of military retirement and federal civilian retirement, including the very detailed language required to get the court order correct
- Expert on Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act (USFSPA) and its application in family law courts as to valuation and division of federal retirements
- Expert on assessment and division of income streams for military members, including retirement, VA disability, and other special compensation
- Fluent Spanish speaker with more than 25 years speaking Spanish in a professional environment
- Assistant professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy, teaching several sections of a student-favorite "Negotiations" course to future Air Force officers.
Ready to Begin the Mediation Process with Aaron and the Good Attorney Team? Click here!