Advice and strategy
Clients can discuss goals, risks, options, and practical next steps for their specific family law situation.
Resource
What a consulting attorney does in family law.
A consulting attorney provides focused legal guidance without stepping into the neutral role of a mediator. This can be useful when someone needs advice, strategy, or document review before making a decision or responding to a proposal.
Document review
Draft agreements, proposals, and settlement terms can be reviewed before a client decides how to proceed.
Support alongside another process
Consulting attorney services may be used before, during, or after mediation or direct settlement discussions.
When It Can Help
Useful for clients who need guidance without a full neutral process.
Consulting attorney services can be especially helpful when a client already has a proposed agreement, is preparing for mediation, is trying to understand support or property questions, or wants a clearer strategy before responding to the other side.
For some people, consulting support is a bridge between doing research online and choosing a larger process. For others, it is the right ongoing model because they need focused advice on particular decisions rather than a fully managed mediation or collaborative process from start to finish.
What the Work May Include
Concrete support tied to a decision, a document, or a stage of the process.
- Reviewing draft agreements or settlement proposals
- Discussing support, parenting, or property issues before negotiations
- Helping a client prepare for mediation sessions or settlement discussions
- Clarifying what information or next-step documents may still be needed
The value of consulting work is often its flexibility. It can be tailored to the exact question a client needs to answer at that point in the process.
How It Differs
Different from both mediation and collaborative law.
In mediation, Sharon serves as a neutral and does not act as counsel for one side. In collaborative law, each side has counsel in a settlement-focused process. Consulting attorney services are different from both because the work centers on advice, strategy, and review for one client without converting the entire process into a collaborative case.
This option can be valuable for people who want experienced family law input while still deciding whether mediation, collaborative law, or another next step makes the most sense.
Related Resource
Collaborative divorce vs. mediation
Compare consulting support with the two main settlement-focused process options described elsewhere on the site.
Compare the optionsPreparation
What to prepare for an initial consultation
Use a short checklist to organize the documents, dates, and questions you may want to discuss.
View the checklistRequest a Consultation
Need focused advice or document review?
Request a consultation to discuss whether consulting attorney services may be the right fit for the issue you are trying to resolve.