Divorce Mediator Nicole K. Levy provides divorcing spouses with a confidential, cost-effective alternative to litigation, backed by the experience and reputation of the Lynch & Owens, the South Shore’s leading divorce specialists.
Nicole K. Levy
For more than 20 years, Lynch & Owens has been a divorce leader on the South Shore of Massachusetts. Divorce litigation has been our primary focus for two decades; however, our growth in recent years has led us to expand in several exciting directions. First among our new initiatives is South Shore Divorce Mediation. Through South Shore Divorce Mediation, we are now positioned to deliver the unique skills and experience of Lynch & Owens to mediation clients on the South Shore of Massachusetts.
Superior Family Law Expertise Through Lynch & Owens
Readers of the Lynch & Owens Blog recognize the contributions we have made to the thriving online community of legal analysis and scholarship surrounding Massachusetts divorce, family law, child support, alimony and child custody issues. Among the firm’s blog authors, Nicole stands apart as a leader in the field of Massachusetts family law scholarship, having published dozens of authoritative treatises on Massachusetts family law, including her cutting-edge analysis of decisional law affecting the Massachusetts Alimony Reform Act, her review of complex financial issues such as the treatment of generation skipping trusts in Massachusetts divorce cases, and her definitive review of DCF’s 51A investigation process, which has been read by more than 3,000 Massachusetts residents since being published last year.
Divorce mediation clients know they are in good hands with Nicole, whose understanding of the divorce process results in mediated agreements that spouses can rely on in the years and decades following their divorce.
Does a Divorce Mediator Need to be an Attorney?
Divorce lawyers often say: we only hear about the divorce mediations that fail. This is true. The most successful divorce mediations result in a final separation agreement that provides stability and structure for divorced spouses, rather than an invitation to litigation down the road. Divorce attorneys regularly work with clients whose mediated divorce agreement included gaps, mistakes or other problems that result in litigation down the road. Thus, the best divorce mediations are like trees falling the forest: divorce attorneys know great mediations happen, but lawyers rarely hear from former spouses who live in peaceful co-existence following their divorce.
Few divorcing spouses understand that in Massachusetts, a divorce mediator can advertise his or her services even if they never practiced divorce or family law. Indeed, Massachusetts does not require mediators to be lawyers at all. Mediation clients often ask: does a divorce mediator need to be a lawyer when mediation is so different from litigation? The answer is no, it is not strictly necessary for a divorce mediator to be lawyer. Moreover, even if your divorce mediator is a trained attorney, it is important to understand that while he or she is acting as a mediator, the attorney is not providing legal advice or practicing law at all. Nevertheless, experience matters.
The end product that is produced in a divorce mediation is a separation agreement. This is the same end product that is produced in 99% of litigated divorce cases, where only 1% of cases go to trial. A divorce mediator who has years of experience as a family law attorney, quite simply, has a great deal of experience preparing final separation agreements. The process for generating a mediated separation agreement differs significantly from the creation of a separation agreement generated through litigation, but the final product – a well-written separation agreement – is the same.
Assessing a Divorce Mediator’s Credentials: Reputation Matters
Recent years have seen an explosion in online advertising by inexpensive divorce mediators offering quick and easy divorces at rock bottom prices. If your divorce involves significant assets, child support or alimony, or a detailed parenting plan, it is crucial that you and your spouse select a divorce mediator with experience and a reputation for excellence. Picking a reputable divorce mediator can be tricky, however. Traditional law firms have been around since America was founded, but the growth in divorce mediation firms in the last decade is a much more recent phenomenon.
One way for spouses to choose a mediator is to seek out firms whose reputation for excellence extends beyond simple mediation. Lynch & Owens has represented thousands of divorce and family law clients over the last two decades. Our office has produced more than a thousand final separation agreements – the final product from mediation and most litigated divorces – for South Shore clients. As an organization, we guard our reputation jealously. Spouses who mediate their divorces through South Shore Divorce Mediation understand they are working with the South Shore’s leader in divorce services.
In her capacity as a divorce attorney, Nicole prepares dozens of separation agreement and post-divorce agreements a year that withstand the scrutiny of the firm’s supervising attorneys, opposing counsel, individual clients and Probate and Family Court judges. A mediator is not acting as an attorney, but experience and reputation matters. Any separation agreement associated with Nicole’s name – whether through mediation or litigation – is a reflection of both her expertise and the firm’s as a whole. As a mediator, Nicole draws on our library of more than than a thousand Massachusetts separation agreements to resolve problems for divorce spouses before they arise.
No Mediation Retainers with Pay-As-You-Go Mediation
Worried about paying a retainer for your mediation? Don’t be. South Shore Divorce Mediation now offers pay-as-you-go mediation. With pay-as-you-go mediation, you avoid retainers, up-front payments and financial commitments. Call and schedule your first mediation session today at (781) 253-2049.
Nicole is a divorce mediator for South Shore Divorce Mediation, located in Hingham, Massachusetts. She is also a Senior Associate Attorney for Lynch & Owens, P.C., where she specializes in divorce and family law issues. Nicole is a statutory mediator under M.G.L. Ch. 233, s. 23C and a proud member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation.
Disclaimer: The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should meet with an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. You are invited to contact our office. Contacting the office does not create an attorney-client or mediator-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to the office until such time as an attorney-client or mediator-client relationship has been established. This blog is considered an advertisement for the Law Office of Lynch & Owens, P.C. d/b/a South Shore Divorce Mediation. The Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct broadly govern all advertisements and communications made by attorneys and law firms in the Commonwealth. Generally, legal websites and any other content published on the internet by lawyers are considered a type of communication and an advertisement, according to the Comments to Rule 7.2.