Certified Family Financial Mediator

A judge has set your case for mediation, or your attorney has raised it as the next step, and now you have to decide what to do at a table where the choices you make can follow you for years. The child custody schedule you agree to and the way your property and support are divided do not stay at that table. They shape your children’s routines and your financial footing long after the session ends.

What gets signed in mediation can become a binding court order. What you fail to protect there can be difficult to claw back later. Walking in without a clear picture of how North Carolina mediation works, or without counsel in the room where counsel belongs, can cost you in ways that are hard to undo.

Our attorneys at Leitner, Bragg & Griffin guide clients through divorce mediation across North Carolina, and Jordan Griffin is a Certified Family Financial Mediator credentialed by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission. As a divorce mediation lawyer and a credentialed mediator under one roof, we understand the process from both chairs, the neutral’s and the advocate’s, and we know what has to happen if mediation does not settle every issue.

Why Choose Leitner, Bragg & Griffin for Mediation

Anyone heading into divorce mediation wants to know one thing first: will the person advising me actually understand this process, and can they protect what matters to me if the talks break down. Mediation rewards preparation and a clear read of what a court would likely do, and it punishes guesswork. That is the standard we hold our work to.

A Certified Family Financial Mediator on Our Team

Most families have to hire a mediator and a lawyer separately. With our firm, the mediator credential is already in the building. Jordan Griffin is certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission as a Family Financial Mediator, and she is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist recognized by the North Carolina State Bar. That dual standing lets the firm sit on either side of the table. We can serve as the neutral mediator who runs the process or as the lawyer protecting your interests while someone else mediates. You get a team that knows how a skilled mediator thinks and how to use that knowledge for you.

Local Courts, Local Knowledge

The partners at our firm grew up in Monroe and Union County and built their practice in the same courthouses where they were raised. We appear in family court in Charlotte, Monroe, and Raleigh, and that local footing shapes how we advise you. We can tell you what tends to resolve at mediation in this market and what a local judge is likely to expect if your case does not settle. From our Charlotte office, our Monroe office, and our Raleigh office, we represent separating spouses and parents throughout the Greater Charlotte area and the Triangle.

Client Testimonials

“Highly recommend Jordan and her team! She has been responsive and informative throughout the entire process. Her professionalism and demeanor are unmatched. I am so very grateful to have worked with her during the most difficult experience.” — Mandy D.

“What is the big deal? How many women have heard this? What a woman does, think, and feel matter. The journey towards seeking a divorce is as varied as the people who seek them. Sometimes there are overt things like infidelity, and all types of abuse. Other times’ they are less tangible – maybe a marriage of put downs or trivializing as in whatever matters to you is ‘not a big deal’. Of course, these causes often occur in combinations over years. It is great to have a very empathetic, knowledgeable and efficient attorney to help one navigate a divorce whatever the cause. Lawyer Griffin from my initial consultation to the court date listened well, validated my feelings and educated me especially as relates to financial and property matters. It is quite easy to act against one’s best interest after years of always putting others first – and the first steps may start the process of unlearning and reclaiming and restoring our whole self as God intended. She was instrumental in providing legal counsel that would best help me without undue harm to the other. Front desk and support staff were also great. Since this is legal service, you will need to communicate with the finance people, and they too were professional, responsive to calls and kept you well informed of charges to your account. I am happy that I avoided the mire of a mess that can be created by being your own lawyer or choosing budget legal services in such a life changing process. I highly recommend Lawyer Jordan Griffin. Women let us validate ourselves too; we are a big deal!” — M. Inga F.

What Is Divorce Mediation in North Carolina?

Divorce mediation is a guided, confidential negotiation in which a neutral third party helps you and your spouse try to reach an agreement, rather than handing those decisions to a judge. The mediator does not rule on anything. The mediator manages the conversation, carries offers between the parties, and helps both sides look for terms each can accept.

North Carolina recognizes several ways to resolve family law disputes outside a trial, including mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law. Divorce mediation is the most common of these because it keeps the decisions in the hands of the two people who have to live with them. For many separating couples, that control is the reason they prefer family law mediation to a courtroom fight.

When Is Mediation Required in a North Carolina Divorce?

In North Carolina, mediation is often required, but the rule depends on the issue, and the two main tracks work differently. One track handles your parenting dispute. The other handles money and property.

• Contested custody and visitation. When parents cannot agree on custody or visitation, the court generally sends the dispute to the statewide Custody and Visitation Mediation Program before or at the time it sets the matter for hearing. The governing statute is N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-13.1(b). A court can waive this for good cause under § 50-13.1(c), which can include allegations of domestic violence, abuse or neglect of the child, or a party living more than 50 miles from the court. This program covers custody and visitation only. Alimony, child support, and other economic issues are excluded from it by statute.
• Equitable distribution and family financial issues. Property division, alimony, and support are routed through a mediated settlement conference under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-38.4A. A district court judge can order this conference in cases involving equitable distribution, alimony, and post-separation support.
• Voluntary mediation. Even where no court order requires it, you and your spouse can choose to mediate alimony, support, or nearly any other dispute privately.

Whether you are ordered to the table or you choose it, having counsel who knows which track your case is on and what that track allows protects what matters most to you.

What Family Law Issues Can Mediation Resolve?

Mediation can settle most of the issues that come up when a marriage ends, in whole or in part. In many cases it gives you more say over the result than a trial would. The matters that frequently resolve through mediation in North Carolina include:

• Child custody and parenting time, including schedules, holidays, and decision-making authority
• Child support amounts and changes to an existing support order
• Alimony and spousal support, including how much, for how long, and on what terms
• Division of marital property and debt through equitable distribution
• Disputes that arise after separation and requests to modify existing orders

Some disputes lend themselves to mediation more readily than others. Child custody and child support questions, for example, often respond well to child custody mediation, while a contested equitable distribution of a complex estate may call for more groundwork first. Our attorneys can look at the specific conflict in your case and advise whether it is a strong candidate for a negotiated resolution before you commit to the process.

How Does Divorce Mediation Work, and Do You Need a Lawyer?

Divorce mediation follows a fairly consistent path, though the details shift depending on whether your case is in the court’s custody program or in a financial settlement conference. A typical mediation moves through these stages:

1. Mediator selected. In financial cases, the parties can agree on a Dispute Resolution Commission certified mediator, and the court appoints one if they cannot agree. In the custody program, the court assigns a program mediator.
2. Preparation. Each side gathers the documents and information the issues call for, such as financial records for a property or support dispute.
3. The session. The parties meet with the mediator, often moving into separate rooms so the mediator can speak with each side privately and carry offers back and forth.
4. Agreement in writing. If the parties reach terms, those terms are written down and signed.
5. Court review. A signed agreement is submitted to the court, and once a judge approves and incorporates it, it is enforceable as a court order.

Whether your attorney sits at the table with you depends on the track. In the court’s custody program, the sessions are usually just the parents and the program’s mediator, and attorneys typically are not in the room. In a financial mediated settlement conference under § 7A-38.4A and in private mediation, your attorney attends and advocates for you. The mediator stays neutral in every setting and cannot give either spouse legal advice.

So do you need a lawyer? You are not always required to bring one. For financial mediation and private mediation, though, an attorney reviews whether a proposed agreement is fair and legally sound before you sign anything that can become a binding order. If mediation does not resolve everything, the same firm that prepared you for the table can take the unresolved issues to court.

How Much Does Mediation Cost, and When Is It Not the Right Path?

Mediation usually costs less than taking a contested case all the way through trial. Mediators generally charge by the hour, and in financial settlement conferences the parties typically split that fee. For custody cases inside the court program, a court-provided or reduced-cost mediator may be available, which can lower the expense further. Specific figures depend on your mediator and the complexity of your matter, so our attorneys can give you a realistic sense of divorce mediation cost once we understand your case.

Mediation is not the right answer for every situation. A history of domestic violence, a serious imbalance of power between spouses, or a reason to suspect that one spouse is hiding assets can make a negotiated settlement difficult or unwise, and court intervention may give you stronger protection. North Carolina law recognizes this risk in the financial track. A party who has experienced domestic violence may be excused from physically attending a mediated settlement conference. Where mediation does fit, it can save time, money, and stress while leaving you in control of the outcome. Our attorneys can help you weigh which path protects your interests, and we are ready for either one.

Prepare for Your North Carolina Mediation With Leitner, Bragg & Griffin

The decisions made in divorce mediation set the terms for your children’s schedule and your financial life for years to come, and an agreement signed without a clear understanding of the process can lock in terms you cannot easily change. Going in prepared, with someone who can tell you what a fair result looks like and what a court would likely do instead, changes the position you negotiate from.

Our attorneys guide separating spouses and parents through mediation across Charlotte, Monroe, and Raleigh, with a Certified Family Financial Mediator on staff and the trial experience to handle anything mediation leaves unresolved. We prepare you for the table and stand ready for the courtroom if the table does not settle everything.

To talk through your situation, call 704-271-9805 for our Charlotte and Monroe offices or 919-352-9140 for our Raleigh office, or schedule a consultation through our contact page.