Oregon Divorce Mediation Report
for Stipulated Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage in Oregon
When you hire divorce mediator Matthew House to mediate part or all of your divorce, separation, or modification, there are two components to those services. First, of course, you will have in-person mediation sessions with your spouse (or former spouse) and Matthew to resolve the outstanding issues and questions related to your divorce. Following those mediation sessions (usually two or three meetings of two hours each, for a standard divorce mediation from start to finish), Matthew will compose a written summary of the agreements you and the other party made in mediation. That written summary is called the Mediation Report, and it is very comprehensive -- typically 20 to 40 pages of double-spaced text.
Every decision relating to child custody, parenting time, asset division, debt division, division of household goods, child support, spousal support, and all other matters discussed and agreed in mediation will be in the Mediation Report. Matthew will ensure that the report contains the appropriate level of detail for each decision, so that the family court judge who will review the documents to create what some would call a divorce decree (in Oregon, the proper terms you will see or hear in legal circles are "stipulated judgment" or "stipulated general judgment of dissolution of marriage") can do so without confusion or delay.
Matthew generally bills the Mediation Report as a flat fee of three hours of time, and it includes the drafting time and one round of revisions. If there are mistakes, Matthew will correct them free of charge.
There are only a few reasons you would ever pay more for than a three-hour fee for the Mediation Report, and those exceptions do not happen often. One such reason would be if you changed your mind on certain aspects of the agreement and the written product had to be revised to reflect new conditions. A second reason that does happen but not too often is that people occasionally have particularly complex assets, such as multiple pieces of real estate or multiple retirement accounts to divide. (Many people have more than one retirement account, but usually no more than one is divided.)
If your Mediation Report is going to require more than the standard fee, Matthew will inform you at the beginning of the mediation process or as soon as he becomes aware of the need. You will not be required to pay up front for the additional amount. Matthew will not bill you for that amount until after the work is completed, in case the billing is not necessary because less additional work (or no additional work at all) actually took place.
You are not divorced just because Matthew has presented you with the Mediation Report. It is not binding on either party until it is either signed by both parties or is included as part of a judgment or order (issued by a judge). Until you file it in court, what you do with that written report is up to you. You can keep it in your possession as long as you want, provided that the information is still current and accurate when or if you decide to file the report with divorce forms.
If you have come to Matthew with the intention of getting a divorce, as is most people's reason for seeking Matthew's services, you will add the Mediation Report to the divorce forms that you complete (or have another professional complete for you). Matthew, as your mediator, does not prepare the court forms -- only the Mediation Report.
Every decision relating to child custody, parenting time, asset division, debt division, division of household goods, child support, spousal support, and all other matters discussed and agreed in mediation will be in the Mediation Report. Matthew will ensure that the report contains the appropriate level of detail for each decision, so that the family court judge who will review the documents to create what some would call a divorce decree (in Oregon, the proper terms you will see or hear in legal circles are "stipulated judgment" or "stipulated general judgment of dissolution of marriage") can do so without confusion or delay.
Matthew generally bills the Mediation Report as a flat fee of three hours of time, and it includes the drafting time and one round of revisions. If there are mistakes, Matthew will correct them free of charge.
There are only a few reasons you would ever pay more for than a three-hour fee for the Mediation Report, and those exceptions do not happen often. One such reason would be if you changed your mind on certain aspects of the agreement and the written product had to be revised to reflect new conditions. A second reason that does happen but not too often is that people occasionally have particularly complex assets, such as multiple pieces of real estate or multiple retirement accounts to divide. (Many people have more than one retirement account, but usually no more than one is divided.)
If your Mediation Report is going to require more than the standard fee, Matthew will inform you at the beginning of the mediation process or as soon as he becomes aware of the need. You will not be required to pay up front for the additional amount. Matthew will not bill you for that amount until after the work is completed, in case the billing is not necessary because less additional work (or no additional work at all) actually took place.
You are not divorced just because Matthew has presented you with the Mediation Report. It is not binding on either party until it is either signed by both parties or is included as part of a judgment or order (issued by a judge). Until you file it in court, what you do with that written report is up to you. You can keep it in your possession as long as you want, provided that the information is still current and accurate when or if you decide to file the report with divorce forms.
If you have come to Matthew with the intention of getting a divorce, as is most people's reason for seeking Matthew's services, you will add the Mediation Report to the divorce forms that you complete (or have another professional complete for you). Matthew, as your mediator, does not prepare the court forms -- only the Mediation Report.