Family Law Mediation Attorney in Johns Creek & North Atlanta

This is the hub page for mediation. The specific issues you are facing determine which inner page covers your situation in detail.

Divorce Mediation. Mediation that resolves the full set of divorce issues: property division, debt allocation, spousal support, custody, child support, and parenting plans. This is the most common form of mediation in a contested divorce.

Custody Mediation. Mediation focused specifically on custody, parenting time, and decision-making. Used in standalone custody cases, modification proceedings, and as a component of divorce mediation when custody is contested.

Settlement Negotiation. Direct attorney-to-attorney negotiation that happens throughout a case, not as a scheduled mediation event. Different from mediation: no mediator, no scheduled session, ongoing throughout the litigation.

Mediation vs Litigation. A comparison of the two paths so you can understand which fits your case and how the hybrid approach (litigation preparation plus mediation resolution) often produces the strongest outcome.

Mediation is not therapy, counseling, or a casual conversation. It is a legal negotiation process guided by a professional mediator, typically a family law attorney or retired judge with specialized mediation training.

Before mediation, each party prepares with their attorney. Preparation includes reviewing the financial picture, identifying priorities and acceptable compromises, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your position, and anticipating the other side’s arguments. At Tannen Law Group, we prepare for mediation with the same rigor we apply to trial preparation: organized evidence, clear legal positions, and a strategy for moving the other side toward resolution.

During mediation, the mediator typically separates the parties into private rooms and shuttles between them, conveying proposals, exploring compromises, and reality-testing each party’s position. The mediator may share legal context, point out risks of going to trial, and identify areas where agreement is possible.

If mediation succeeds, the attorneys draft a mediation agreement on the spot or shortly after. This agreement is then formalized into a settlement agreement that is filed with the court. If mediation fails, the case proceeds toward trial, but the mediation discussions remain confidential and cannot be used as evidence.

Mediation offers advantages that trial cannot provide.

Control over the outcome. The parties design the resolution rather than leaving it to a judge who learned about the family for the first time at trial. Creative solutions, custom parenting plans, and tailored property transfers are possible at mediation in ways that court orders rarely are.

Higher compliance with mediated agreements. Agreements both parties helped create tend to hold better than orders imposed from outside.

Privacy. Mediation is confidential. No public court record of the proceedings.

Better preservation of the co-parenting relationship. Adversarial litigation can damage the working relationship parents need to communicate about their children for years. Mediation tends to preserve it.

Lower cost when mediation produces a resolution. A case that settles at mediation avoids the discovery, hearings, and trial preparation costs of contested litigation.

Mediation is not always the right path. Where there is a power imbalance, where one spouse is hiding assets, where domestic violence is documented, or where one party is using mediation to delay, the right approach is different. We assess your case honestly during the free consultation and recommend the path that fits.

Find Out If Mediation Is the Right Path for Your Case

Find Out If Mediation Is Right for Your Case

Mediation is mandatory in Fulton County contested cases and commonly chosen in Gwinnett and Forsyth. We assess your specific situation and prepare to advocate for you whether at the table or at trial.

(470) 560-7798 | Schedule online

Attorney David Tannen has resolved hundreds of cases through mediation across Fulton, Gwinnett, and Forsyth County courts since 2002. He has handled mediations involving high-asset property division, contested custody, hidden income disputes, and the full range of family law issues.

Attorney Kevin Markes brings the preparation rigor of his former criminal trial background to mediation strategy. Methodical evidence organization, careful cross-examination preparation, and clear legal positioning translate directly to the mediation table.

Director of Client Relations Melissa Barker handles client communication throughout the mediation process: scheduling, preparation logistics, and follow-through on the agreement.

Contact Tannen Law Group