FAMILy law
A substantial portion of Mr. Riviera's mediation practice involves the resolution of family conflict, including divorce, legal separation, and dissolution of domestic partnership; and the negotiation of the many issues arising in such life transitions, including the division of property, child support, spousal support, and parenting. Mr. Riviera mediates the negotiation of premarital and postmarital agreements, and the modification of existing family law agreements.
Mr. Riviera also mediates family conflicts or transitions not involving marriage or life partnership, including communication and other dysfunctions within family systems; generational or successional issues affecting family businesses; inter vivos family asset transfers; and trusts, estates, and inheritance-related issues.
Mr. Riviera's objective as a mediator in these areas (as in all of his work as a mediator) is to assist parties, who are committed to avoiding the time, expense, unpredictability, and anguish of litigation, in navigating their life transition through a non-adversarial, respectful process which prioritizes transparency and the full exchange of information, thorough and deliberate consideration, taking into account both short and long-term interests, and understanding and compassion, so that the parties secure the best possible, durable outcome for each of them.
Where the parties will be interacting with each other going forward, post-divorce, as for example when they will be co-parenting together, the agreements they make effectuating their transition represent both the ending of the principal phase of their lives together and the framing, and the setting of the tone for, the beginning of their new, limited, but ongoing, relationship as co-parents. Their agreements, and the manner in which they are reached, establish a precedent and template for interaction between, and problem-solving by, the parties in the future.
As conducted by Mr. Riviera, mediated divorce or negotiation of family conflict or transition offers the opportunity of both securing the best possible agreement for each of the parties and establishing or resetting a model for future interactions between them.
Mr. Riviera mediates in these areas both as a solo mediator and utilizing the formats of co-mediation and, particularly, integrative mediation.