Family Law Mediation Attorney Tucson

A Calmer Path To Resolving Divorce & Parenting Disputes

When a relationship ends, or family circumstances change, it can feel as if every part of life is in motion at once. You may be worried about where your children will live, how decisions will be made, and whether you can avoid a long court battle here in Tucson. Working with a family law mediation attorney Tucson clients trust can give you a clearer, more constructive way to move forward.

At Belleau Family Law Group, we focus our practice on family law and on helping clients resolve disputes through mediation whenever that is an appropriate option. Our team is led by attorney Laura Belleau, who has worked in Arizona family law for more than three decades and is certified by the State Bar of Arizona’s Board of Legal Specialization in family law. We draw on that depth of experience to guide clients toward informed, durable agreements that can be submitted to Pima County Superior Court.

On this page, we explain how family law mediation works, when it may be a good fit, and how our attorneys support you through each step. Our goal is to help you understand your choices so you can decide whether mediation is the right path for your family.

Contact our trusted family law mediation attorney in Tucson at (520) 645-8500 to schedule a confidential consultation.

How Family Law Mediation Can Help Your Family Move Forward

Family law mediation is a structured process in which separating spouses or co-parents work with a neutral mediator to resolve their legal issues outside a contested courtroom hearing. Instead of asking a judge to make decisions after a trial, you and the other party meet in a guided setting to discuss parenting time, legal decision-making, child support, spousal maintenance, and property division. With the help of your own lawyer, you can explore solutions that fit your family’s specific needs while keeping more control over the outcome.

Mediation often appeals to parents who want to reduce conflict around their children and maintain a workable co-parenting relationship. The process is private, flexible in scheduling, and often more focused than litigation. Sessions can be tailored to address what matters most to you, whether that is a detailed parenting schedule, a plan for keeping children in their current school, or a practical division of complex assets.

Mediation is not only for couples who already agree on everything. Many people begin the process with significant disagreement, hurt feelings, or limited communication. A skilled mediator can help organize the discussion, identify issues to be decided, and move the conversation away from blame toward practical solutions. As your family law mediation attorney, we help you prepare for those conversations and evaluate proposals so you can make decisions with a clear understanding of your rights under Arizona law.

Why Families Choose Our Firm for Mediation

Choosing the right guide is one of the most important decisions you will make about mediation. At Belleau Family Law Group, we devote our work exclusively to family law, including divorce, parenting time, legal decision-making, and related matters that are frequently resolved through mediation. This focused practice means we are deeply familiar with the legal standards that apply in Arizona and with how mediated agreements are viewed by judges in Pima County Superior Court.

Our firm is led by Laura Belleau, who has more than 30 years of experience in Arizona family law and is certified by the State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization in family law. She has served on the State Bar of Arizona’s Family Law Executive Council and on Arizona Supreme Court committees that developed Child Support Guidelines, Spousal Maintenance Guidelines, and the Parenting Time Guide. This background gives our team a detailed understanding of the framework that shapes fair and workable family law agreements.

Ms. Belleau is a Fellow and national Treasurer of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a former President and current Treasurer of its Arizona chapter, and a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers. She is also a member of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Our firm has been recognized among the “Best Law Firms” by U.S. News & World Report, and Ms. Belleau has been selected to Super Lawyers in 2023 and 2024 and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

For clients, these credentials matter because they signal more than professional honors. They reflect decades of working at the center of family law in this state and across the country. When we advise you in mediation, we draw on that knowledge to explain how courts typically approach similar issues, what Arizona guidelines require, and which options may be more sustainable for your family in the long run.

Our Family Law Mediation Process

Understanding the steps involved in mediation can reduce some of the uncertainty you may be feeling. Our process is designed to give you a clear roadmap from the first conversation through final court orders, while leaving space to address the unique details of your situation.

Initial Consultation & Preparation

The process typically begins with a consultation in which we listen to your concerns, review any existing court papers, and learn about your goals. We discuss whether mediation is appropriate in your case and what role a family law mediation attorney will play. If you decide to move forward, we help you gather the financial and parenting information that will be important in discussions, such as income documentation, property information, and your children’s schedules and needs.

Mediation Sessions & Negotiation

During mediation sessions, you and the other party meet with a neutral mediator. In some cases you may be in the same room. In other situations, you may be in separate rooms with the mediator moving between you. Our attorneys help you prepare for each session, explain the legal context of the issues being discussed, and help you think through possible proposals. We are available to answer your questions during and between sessions so that you understand what each option could mean in practice.

Finalizing Agreements & Court Orders

As you and the other party reach an agreement on specific topics, the terms are written into a draft settlement document. Once the full agreement is complete, we review it with you carefully and suggest any clarifications that may be helpful for future enforcement. We then prepare the documents that are filed with Pima County Superior Court so the agreement can be considered for entry as a binding court order, subject to the court’s review. Our goal is to help you leave the process with clear terms and an understanding of how your new arrangements will work day to day.

Mediation for Parenting Time & Legal Decision-Making

For many parents, the most difficult part of a separation is deciding how children will divide their time and how major decisions will be made. Mediation offers a forum to work through parenting time and legal decision-making without placing those choices entirely in a judge’s hands. With guidance, parents can create detailed parenting plans that reflect their children’s ages, school schedules, health needs, and important family traditions.

In mediation, we help you address common parenting questions, such as where children will spend school nights, weekends, holidays, and vacations. We also address legal decision-making, which involves who will make or share major decisions about education, medical care, religion, and significant extracurricular activities. Some families prefer joint legal decision-making with clear communication guidelines. Others find that a different arrangement better fits their circumstances. We work with you to explore these options and to understand how Arizona law approaches them.

Our child-centered approach to parenting issues is informed, in part, by Ms. Belleau’s work on the Arizona Supreme Court’s Parenting Time Guide Workgroup. That work focuses on creating practical, developmentally appropriate guidance for parenting schedules, and we draw on those principles when we talk with you about possible plans. In addition, our team includes attorneys who have represented children and the state in family-related matters in this region, including service as a Children’s Attorney with the Pima County Office of Children’s Counsel. That perspective helps us keep children’s needs at the forefront of every discussion.

Parents often worry that raising difficult topics in mediation may harm their relationship with their children or with the other parent. We work to create an environment where concerns can be expressed in a respectful way and translated into specific provisions in your parenting plan. The result is often a more detailed and practical agreement than one reached through a contested hearing, with schedules and guidelines that both parents understand and helped create.

Addressing Property, Support & Long-Term Stability in Mediation

Financial questions are another source of stress during family transitions. Mediation provides a setting where you can discuss property division, child support, and spousal maintenance in a structured way that reflects Arizona law and your family’s circumstances. Our attorneys help you understand how community property principles and support guidelines apply, so that you can negotiate with accurate information.

Property Division in Mediation

Property division discussions in mediation often include homes, retirement accounts, business interests, vehicles, and debts. We assist you in identifying marital and separate property and in considering different ways assets and obligations can be allocated. Although the final decisions are yours, we explain how similar issues are commonly handled in Arizona courts, which can help you evaluate whether proposals are workable and likely to be acceptable to the court.

Child Support & Spousal Maintenance

Child support and spousal maintenance are guided by standards that the Arizona Supreme Court has adopted. Ms. Belleau has served on the Supreme Court’s Child Support Guidelines Review Committee and the Spousal Maintenance Guidelines Committee, which provides our team with first-hand insight into how these guidelines were developed. During mediation, we use that knowledge to help you understand the factors that influence support amounts, such as incomes, parenting time schedules, and specific financial needs.

Many clients are concerned about long-term financial security, including housing stability, retirement planning, and the ability to meet monthly expenses. In mediation, we work with you to consider the short and long term effects of proposed support and property arrangements. The goal is to arrive at clear, written terms that reduce future disputes and support each household’s ability to move forward.

Working With Our Tucson Mediation Team

When you work with Belleau Family Law Group, you work with a team that understands both the legal framework and the human side of family restructuring. From the first meeting, we take time to listen to your story, your concerns, and your priorities. We then explain the options that may be available in your situation, including family law mediation, and help you think through what success could look like for you and your children.

Communication is a central part of our work. We strive to explain legal concepts in clear language, provide realistic expectations about the mediation process, and keep you informed about upcoming steps. Because our practice is based in Tucson, we are familiar with the procedures of Pima County Superior Court and with how family cases typically progress through that system. We use that knowledge to help you plan ahead and to support the preparation of mediated agreements in a form the court can review.

Our attorneys are also active in professional communities that focus on improving family dispute resolution. In addition to leadership roles in national family law organizations, we participate in the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, which emphasizes child-focused, research-informed approaches to resolving family disputes. This involvement reflects our broader commitment to processes that help families reach thoughtful resolutions, rather than escalating conflict.

If you are considering working with a family law mediation lawyer Tucson residents turn to for guidance, we invite you to contact our office to discuss your situation. Together, we can determine whether mediation is a good fit and how our team can support you through the decisions ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does family law mediation work in Arizona?

In Arizona, family law mediation is a voluntary process in which the parties to a family law case meet with a neutral mediator to try to resolve their issues by agreement. You and the other party typically attend one or more sessions where the mediator helps identify the topics that need to be addressed and guides a structured conversation about each one. Throughout the process, you may have your own attorney, who can advise you privately about your rights, options, and the legal effect of potential agreements.

If you reach an agreement on some or all issues, those terms are written into a settlement document that can be filed with the court. In Pima County Superior Court, as in other Arizona counties, judges generally review mediated agreements to consider whether they meet legal standards, particularly in matters involving children. Once approved, the agreement becomes a court order that governs issues such as parenting time, legal decision-making, property division, and support. Our role is to guide you through each step and help you understand how your mediated agreement fits within Arizona family law.

Will mediation still work if we do not agree on much right now?

Mediation can still be useful even when you and the other party currently disagree on many issues. The process is designed to help people move from broad disagreement to more specific discussions, one topic at a time. A trained mediator can help structure conversations so that you focus on practical questions, such as how a particular parenting schedule might function during the school year, rather than on past grievances.

As your lawyers, we help you prepare by clarifying your priorities and by identifying where there may be room for flexibility. In some cases, mediation leads to the complete resolution of all issues. In others, it results in partial agreements that narrow what remains for the court to decide. Even partial agreements can significantly reduce the time, cost, and stress involved in a contested hearing. Our goal is to support you in making progress where it is possible, while recognizing that some matters may still require court involvement.

How will you help protect my relationship with my children?

Your relationship with your children is central to our work in any family law matter. In mediation, we focus on parenting plans that support children’s stability and ongoing relationships with both parents, when that is appropriate and safe. We talk with you about your children’s ages, routines, school and activity schedules, and about any special needs that should be considered in developing a plan.

Our involvement in the Arizona Supreme Court Parenting Time Guide Workgroup gives us a detailed perspective on how different parenting schedules may affect children at various stages. We use that information to help you consider options that are realistic and child-focused. When we advise you in mediation, we pay close attention to how proposed schedules may affect your day-to-day contact with your children and your ability to participate in their lives. Our aim is to help you move toward agreements that support strong parent-child relationships and reduce conflict in front of the children.

Can a mediation agreement cover property and support as well as parenting issues?

Yes, a mediation agreement can address the full range of issues that arise in divorce or other family law cases, including property division, child support, and spousal maintenance, in addition to parenting time and legal decision-making. Many families find it helpful to resolve all related issues in a single comprehensive settlement so that they can move forward with a clear understanding of their rights and responsibilities.

During mediation, we help you review financial information and consider how Arizona’s community property principles and support guidelines apply in your case. Because our team includes an attorney who has served on the Arizona Supreme Court’s Child Support Guidelines Review Committee and Spousal Maintenance Guidelines Committee, we are well-positioned to explain how those guidelines operate and which factors are particularly important. This context helps you evaluate different proposals for support and property division in light of both your current needs and your long-term plans.

How long does family law mediation usually take?

The length of family law mediation can vary, but many cases are resolved in a period ranging from several weeks to a few months. The timeline often depends on the number and complexity of issues, the level of conflict, and how quickly financial and parenting information can be gathered. Some families reach an agreement after one or two longer sessions, while others need multiple shorter sessions spread out over time.

Compared to contested litigation, mediation often allows parties to move at a pace that better fits their schedules and emotional readiness. We work with you to prepare thoroughly, which can make sessions more efficient. Although we cannot predict exactly how long your process will take, we explain the factors that are likely to influence the timeline in your situation so you can plan accordingly.

What happens if mediation does not resolve every issue?

If mediation does not resolve every issue in your case, the work you have done is rarely wasted. Agreements reached on some topics can still be written up and submitted to the court, which means there are fewer matters left for a judge to decide. Partial settlements can simplify hearings, reduce the number of witnesses needed, and shorten the overall time spent in court.

When certain issues remain unresolved after mediation, we discuss with you the options for addressing them. In some cases, additional mediation sessions may be helpful once more information is gathered or emotions have settled. In others, it may be appropriate to ask the court to decide the remaining matters. We help you evaluate the benefits and potential drawbacks of each path so that you can choose the approach that best fits your needs.

Do I meet directly with your attorneys during the mediation process?

Yes, when you engage our firm, you work directly with our attorneys throughout the mediation process. We meet with you before mediation to understand your goals, explain your rights, and help you prepare. During the course of mediation, we remain available to answer your questions, help you evaluate settlement proposals, and ensure that you understand how any proposed terms would operate in real life.

Our team’s experience in Arizona family law and in working with families in this community informs the guidance we provide at every stage. We review draft agreements with you carefully and suggest clarifications that can reduce confusion later. Our involvement is intended to give you confidence that you are making informed decisions within the structure of Arizona law and the practices of the Pima County Superior Court.

Talk With Our Team About Family Law Mediation

Deciding how to move forward after a separation or family change is rarely easy, but you do not have to make those decisions on your own. A knowledgeable family law mediation lawyer can help you understand your options, prepare for productive discussions, and work toward agreements that reflect your family’s needs. At Belleau Family Law Group, we draw on decades of experience in Arizona family law and a strong commitment to mediation and dispute resolution to guide clients through this process.

If you are considering mediation for divorce, parenting time, legal decision-making, or related issues, we invite you to contact our office in Tucson to schedule a consultation. We will listen to your concerns, explain how mediation might apply in your case, and discuss how our team can assist you at each step. Taking this first step can help you move from uncertainty toward a clearer plan for the future.

To learn more or to schedule a consultation with our trusted family law mediation attorney in Tucson, please call (520) 645-8500.