The legal process of divorce doesn't need to be confused, painful, battlesome and resentful, if you have David. My husband found him online and we had a relatively smooth process. David is very bright, fair, calm, competent, good at communication and patient. He has been very honest upfront about the role as a mediator to be representative for two parties and his expectations of clients to minimize the emotional stress during the meeting, which is fair and understandable as this is a legal work and we should be respectful. During the process, we had issues about child custody and needed to work with a therapist first before continuing our sessions with David. He waited for us patiently and never pushed us. I highly recommend David, if you absolutely have to go through divorce. read more

David is professional, courteous, competent, responsive and easy to work with. He was compassionate and sensitive as he navigated us through this difficult and painful process. Highly recommend. read more

Reading other reviews, I see that there is a pattern here. At first, David seems very compassionate and I trusted him too. Eventually, I find his consultation unprofessional, not informative and definitely (as other women mentioned) with a bias for the man in the divorce. Women - beware! read more

David helped us through the mediation process in 2015 and five years later his financial forecasts were spot on. He demonstrated compassion for both parties as we navigated the legal aspects of ending our marriage. He did exactly what we needed him to do. For emotional healing and growth you will have to find that on your own. Legal services cannot provide that. read more

I had faith in this process but now feel that he does not know what he is doing and hurt me more than he help . Simple things he should have done that being in emotional stress he should have had my back . read more

This is an overdue rave... David Magnuson delivers. He's a rare breed: has integrity, is diplomatic, efficient & compassionate. He gets a tricky job done effectively. When I sought his service, I already knew I didn't have to go through an ugly divorce. Its hard to be the initiator but life is what it is - the first step is easier when you have proper guidance. Thankfully our situation was simple but still, the legal process is far from simple. Using CA Divorce Mediation made sense to save money, time, headache and working with a mediation attorney who honors integrity & reasonable pricing vs. the classic 2 dueling attorneys. He seemed most appealing financially & the do-it-yourself days are over if you live in California. I'd recommend his services to anyone who values making a dissolution as effortless as possible. There's nothing glorious about divorce, but taking the mediator route is sensible. He's worth the drive, he makes the time & quite frankly, he's a damn good person. Had a couple consults elsewhere & didn't feel the same level of comfort. I was confident he was the right choice. His energy is calm, his office is convenient and he's trustworthy. You'll deduce that for yourself from your first meeting. Don't look elsewhere. This is not the subject I would typically yelp about but David Magnuson went above and beyond and is worth the public praise. At least my ex & I agreed on that fact! read more

I recently had the opportunity to work with David, and based on my experience, I can tell you that he is just as good as all of the other positive reviews indicate. He is calm (incredibly so, given the volatility of what we discussed), levelheaded, fair, intelligent, personable, savvy and genuine. He is great at diffusing tense situations, and he does so with a quiet ease that is comforting and effective. I also appreciated that David's billing is unquestionably fair. He was crystal clear about what I needed to pay him and when, and he never hit me with a "surprise" itemized bill. My friends who have gone through divorces with attorneys have all complained about the ridiculous bills that land like clockwork in their mailboxes. One was billed $80 for each email devoted to scheduling the next appointment! David skips the nonsense, thankfully, and keeps it simple. He never asked for a retainer, and he simply had us pay at the end of each meeting. I can imagine that everyone that walks into David's office comes dragging a truckload of emotional baggage behind them. It's a divorce, after all. Keeping discussions focused is something that David showed that he does well. While I am sure that there are some couples that are simply unreachable, couples that no mediator can help, if anyone can pull it off, I would put my money on David. I don't envy the man, but he has a talent, and I am glad he shares it with the rest of us. Let's be honest, a mediator whose first comment is "I'm sorry that you're here" is on the right track. Divorce is an awful life event, and it's really nice to know that the person who is helping you through the process really and truly understands that basic fact. David gets it. That much was clear from day one. Anyway, here's my advice to you. If you find yourself facing a divorce and aren't sure what approach to take, give David a call. Just don't expect him to meet with you alone initially. I tried this, and he won't do it. He'll want to sit down with the two of you at the same time and explain the basics. read more

I didn't want to get divorced. I wanted to do whatever it took to make things right in my marriage. Sadly, if the other person does not feel the same way, you don't want to be with someone who does not want to be with you. So in that case, what do you do? On the upside, we both knew we had to put our children first and that we wanted to part ways as reasonably as possible. David translated that into the legal documents needed to allow us to achieve what we felt made sense. Every step of the way David was there to make things clear and to point out pitfalls from his wealth of experience in dealing with divorce issues. How he manages to deal with this every day without losing his mind is beyond me. Luckily for me... and for you, he does manage to do it without losing his mind. Face it, divorce sucks. In one way or another, we have all failed in making the most important commitment in our lives survive and thrive. So take a deep breath and get on with what you have to do. Then, give David a call and he will help you avoid all the little items that can turn what is already a failed situation into a rational, compassionate and considered parting of the ways. read more

David is kind, professional, calm, genuine and an angel. At a time when my family went through the most stressful time in our lives, David's guidance was truly appreciated. David promptly responded to emails and phone calls even when he is on vacation. David provides an atmosphere of kindness and consideration, and at such low-cost. His services have made it possible for our entire family to move forward with peace and dignity. I highly recommend David and his book 'Divorce for Grown-ups'. Since I have been to David I had many friends go through divorce and most of them started using David and have not regretted one bit. Good Luck to you all out there. read more

David is knowledgeable, professional, calm, clear and kind. At a time when my husband and I were at such odds, it was such a gift to find a lawyer that I liked so well and trusted. I never seemed to be able to come up with questions during our mediation sessions, so I found myself sending a litany of emails to David. David promptly responded to every request with a detailed answer. One night I got a reply within an hour of an email I sent after midnight. David provides an atmosphere of kindness and consideration, and at such low-cost. His services have made it possible for our entire family to move forward with peace and dignity. read more

This review is a long time coming. I went through a divorce two years ago. Wanting to be adults about it, my ex and I decided on mediation instead of a long drawn out court proceeding. I had a somewhat complicated financial situation since I owned a business and my ex worked for my business. We came to David through his Yelp reviews and I'm so happy I did. I do not envy his job. He is part attorney, part mediator, part negotiator, part therapist and 100% amazing. He was able to digest our financials, make suggestions about what would be fair, all the while being mindful of the stresses that each of us were going through at the time. When things got emotional, he was the calming force in the room and allowed us to move through whatever the issue was at hand. In the end, it was a very fair resolution where both sides felt good about the outcome. I have highly recommended David to anyone I have heard about who is getting a divorce as he is as good as it gets. read more

I came onto Yelp to write my recommendation for David Magnuson, as he did such a great job for me and my ex-husband April 2013-August 2013. We found him on Yelp and I wanted to return the favor. It doesn't surprise me to see so many good reviews still here for him. I agree with ALL of the five star comments. David truly makes the experience of divorce bearable. From initial contact to follow ups for addendums, and revisits to alimony that you'll need long after the divorce paperwork is signed, David is responsive, incredibly humble, comforting and does a fantastic job. His rates are also very reasonable. I have no hesitations whatsoever highly recommending him to anyone who finds themselves in need of a divorce mediator. Truly 10 out of 10!! read more

I'm not one to post reviews, but I feel compelled to share my experience so that others can be warned. When I decided to get a divorce from my husband, I didn't know about mediation and was happy when my husband found David. Initially, the consultations seemed helpful and David seemed knowledgable. But something didn't feel right, even at the time, and I gave David my feedback that the extensive finances that I was giving up wasn't even acknowledged by him during our sessions. Fast forward seven years, and an independent family law attorney and another divorce mediator reviewed the judgement that David wrote up. Both confirmed the hunch that I had at the time. From my experience, David has a subtle bias for the man in the divorce to retain as much of his income as possible. So women, beware. read more

Getting divorced is never an easy process, but David Magnuson at California Divorce Mediation makes it as painless as possible. He's an empathetic and knowledgeable mediator. He's also incredibly responsive and efficient, both of which are hugely important when you're paying someone to help you get divorced. I would recommend this practice to anyone. . read more

I would highly recommend David Magnuson as a divorce mediator. He helped my spouse and myself work through all the facets of our divorce with his calming demeanor. He was very neutral in his approach and at at the same time spoke to how a judge would look at the law when we had questions. He encouraged us to be fair and kind with one another which helped us come to a successful resolution. David's communication is outstanding, his process was clear and his prices were very fair. If you are considering mediation, which you should, David is the attorney you should work with. read more

After doing extensive research in the Internet, I came across David. Divorce is a very tough and emotional process. David help me navigate and finalize my divorce from my 16 years marriage. David was very knowledgeable with the process, it only took seven months from the date of filing to get our divorce finalized. David is very patient with answering all my questions. His responses are almost always immediate, whether through email or phone calls. David also have the personality to defuse intense situation between my husband and I. He's very calm, patient, and kind. His personality and professional expertise is exactly what I need to get through this otherwise very difficult process in my life. I highly recommend David's legal services. read more

My mediation sessions with David were extremely productive. He is a good mediator, and I felt that he truly cared about resolving our situation fairly. I am grateful for his help, and I definitely recommend his services. read more

David is knowledgeable, professional and courteous. His office is quiet and calming. David makes the unpleasant experience of divorce goes as fair, smooth and swift as possible. He always answers my questions via emails promptly. At a time when you are riding on an emotion roller coaster, not having to worry about the logistics of filing a divorce is a tremendous help! read more

David's warm calm, professional, and empathetic temperament helped put me at ease in a setting that is oft-perceived as cold and calculating. My first contact to him was over the phone, when I first heard his warm and empathetic voice that is evenly matched in person. An attorney who prefaces the first meeting by saying "I am sorry that you are here today," puts himself on the same wavelength as his clients. His goal is to be mediator and attorney, while being completely fair to both sides. He helps illustrate financial information specific to the client in an understandable format, is extremely well-versed in family law, clearly interprets matters of spousal support and child support for families in unique divorce situations, and offers unrestricted time outside of meetings to answer questions, even on weekends / holidays / late evenings. During a time when my mind was racing, I was not always prepared with a handy list of questions to ask at each mediation meeting. David always responded promptly and fully to my voicemail and e-mail messages. Where choices of attorneys and divorce situations are in oversupply, I would highly recommend you contact David and request a consultation. I would further urge you to reduce your burdens in what is already a very difficult time and allow David to guide you in the process where you are still in charge and yet fed with the most complete law. You will leave his office feeling empowered, informed, and grounded. read more

This will be my first review on Yelp. I guess it's my way of saying THANK YOU to Mr. David Magnuson for working with us through the entire process of our divorce. He really made it easier for us. If you are looking for someone that can help you with the process and guide you with it.. someone that will stay calm while both of you ( referring to your spouse) are yelling at each other... someone that will really stand as a mediator and will listen to each other's side and will let you know about the law and the process, HE IS THE RIGHT PERSON TO GO TO. Divorce is not easy and will never be easy to deal with. Trust me, he wasn't the first one i spoke to. I had coaching from other lawyers and mediators and it is just a waste of money. Then I turned to Yelp and was impressed with the good reviews that I've read about Mr. David Magnuson. So I gave it a try and I am glad that I did. When he said that he will really help you with the process, he means it and YOU CAN DEPEND ON HIM. He made it easier from the time we did our consultation to the time that we are done with the divorce. He never fails to update us. He was on it and there was no delay at all. He didn't charge me extra for this or that. He will explain the fees to you and there are really no other hidden fees. I know divorce can be expensive but if you want to avoid spending "too much" money, just go to Mr. David Magnuson. I believe his fees are just right for the incredible services that he is providing. Thank you for staying calm for us. If I can give more than 5 stars, I would. I would highly "highly" recommended him for couples who are undergoing divorce. Just do a mediation and do it with Mr. David Magnuson. read more

Obviously going through a divorce is a stressful time in a person's life, so finding David was perfect, as David couldn't have done a better job of managing a person through the process. Prior to selecting him I had done some research online and felt overwhelmed by the number of resources and conflicting information that I was finding. David's website nicely laid out the process and the finances, so there really were no surprises. He was incredibly responsive to the many questions by email, by phone, and in-person. His table-side manner was perfect - very calming and professional. He made a very difficult/challenging/uncomfortable situation smooth. Divorce is tough for many reasons, but I would highly recommend David to anyone who is looking for mediation. read more

If you are going through a divorce and you can agree to do it amicably, look no further than David Magnuson. He is both an extremely competent lawyer, and a very empathetic mediator. His book (which he will give to each of you in your first consultation session) is a very pragmatic look at divorce. I cannot recommend him highly enough. read more

David was incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and kind. I was repeatedly impressed by his responsiveness and attention to detail. I asked A LOT of questions, but he always took the time to not only respond promptly, but to also provide a detailed explanation of the reasoning/applicable laws. He was very upfront about everything, including the billing process, and so we knew exactly what to expect and there were no hidden fees or unpleasant surprises. His professional but relaxed demeanor immediately put me at ease. Working with David was definitely one of the easier and more enjoyable aspects of my divorce - we all even managed to have a laugh now and then. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone who wants to avoid a costly, lengthy, and unnecessarily adversarial litigation. read more

David Magnuson performed the mediation of our divorce and did so in a timely fashion despite his wife giving birth right in the middle of things. He was super conscious of costs to us and had helpful suggestions to took actions to minimize our cost at every opportunity. He was knowledgeable and calm. He kept us talking and getting to agreements and consensus. He was a fair arbitrator, a patient explainer, and a clearly experienced and hard-working professional who clearly put our mutual interests at the forefront of priority. He has had the life and law experience to know all that we had been through, and provided a steady hand to guide us through. David walked us through calculations, has given us updates as incomes have changed, and provided us with spreadsheets to help us calculate things for ourselves going foward, or has referred us to knowledgeable professionals for specific scenarios like 401k quasar adjustment if he wasn't an expert on it. At the time of this writing, I see that David's firm has 22 5-star ratings and 1 1-star rating. I guess he doesn't need my extra 5-star rating, but he's got it anyways. David, thank you so much. read more

David is an excellent choice as a mediator if your divorce is amicable. While we knew there weren't going to be lawyers and a prolonged litigation process, the documentation required for a divorce is still confusing. David is very knowledgeable about the process and was able to answer all of our numerous questions. He was able to provide us a level of assurance and comfort in dealing with the challenges of divorce. David was also very transparent and upfront about everything including his fees. I highly recommend David for divorce mediation. read more

My ex who is a lawyer and I have been seeing David over the stretch of 4 years since neither me or my ex has have the time to pursue our divorce. Whenever we were in disagreement of our divorce related issues, we went to see David. With David's guidance and advise we've always managed to get the issue resolved. David is fair, honest, calm, knowledgeable and just a nice lawyer. Maybe that's why he's a mediator and not a divorce lawyer! I'd love to have a chance to recommend David to my friends and relatives as he deserves such referrals. KDJ read more

David is nothing but class, professionalism and as many others have noted, compassion. I'm not surprised as he shares an office suite with his wife who is a therapist :) I researched many mediators, and he was the one who stood out because I could hear empathy and kindness in his voice. Whereas other mediators sounded jaded and transactional. David does an excellent job of listening to both sides, summarizing what's been said, and helps you both break through any stand stills on issues. Sharing my own personal advice as someone who had an ethical and amicable spouse, you can save a lot of time by 1) scanning all documents and linking them into a spreadsheet to be your solo source of truth 2) creating a spreadsheet that clearly shows how you arrived at the proposal you're presenting to your spouse Good luck to anyone reading this. I know you're going through what feels like the most difficult time in your life. Just know that your life goes the in the direction of the altitude of your attitude. It will get better and you will heal read more

Great experience working with David. He understands the legal issues as well as financial (he's also a financial planner) and was very patient explaining issues and presenting options for us to choose between. Would highly recommend. read more

David was fair, honest, competent and helpful from the very first stages of my divorce all the way through to it becoming final (and even beyond!). He is an attorney-mediator (he even published a book on California mediation that I still refer to!) though he could easily add counselor/therapist to his list of services. He is professional, very knowledgable and has a calm, patient presence. I did not initiate my divorce and was somewhat resistant to the process at first, but because of his facilitative approach and attention to detail, I felt comfortable and empowered through all of the decision making. We always dealt directly with David---no admins or assistants---yet he was always very responsive and thorough with phone calls and emails. David's fee's are fair and upfront; never any surprises. I have already recommended him to several friends and acquaintances and will continue to do so. David is excellent at what he does and I'm thankful we found him. read more

David is kind, knowledgeable, professional and caring. He patiently answered all of our questions and was able to provide us with the best legal support during a hard time. His fees are very reasonable and I would recommend his services to anyone who is considering mediation. read more

Divorce sucks. It just does. But luckily having a steady hand to steward you through the complicated process makes it possible to get through. David is a natural -- thoughtful, empathetic, fair and efficient. It was a pleasure working with him during a very challenging time. read more

I called and left a message almost two weeks ago and never received a call back. Quite disturbing considering what I'm going through. Too bad really.... read more

David provides the highest level of professionalism I have seen. He is efficient, compassionate and fair. I highly recommend his services.

David is the perfect guy for couples that can get things agreed on for the best interest of their money and their kids. He was great, cost me only about $7500, but my husband backed out of mediation and used the time we were locked in to mediation to hide lots of money , leaving me very screwed and now paying over $700,000 in legal and financial expert bills, If you don't have a shady husband , use David. He will get it done. If you do have a shady husband don't; spend a dime until you have to , because you won't have a dime to spend otherwise ! Keep in mind , if medication not successful, you can't use anything you do in that time . It is confidential read more

Divorce mediator David Magnuson seems compassionate and sympathetic. But he does not explain his actions, does not help you to understand your options and make an educated decision. He does not communicate very well with you - just gives you bits and pieces of information. And it is not enough. While being a mediator for my case, he did not even explained to me that my ex-husband had not included the Ostler-Smith part of the divorce documents and what difference it made for my case. He assured me that we will have an option to reconsider the salaries both parties make and child support will increase or decrease. Both, my ex-husband and my attorney, concealed the fact that this very important document (Ostler-Smith) was missing... Please be aware that this is what happened to me and might happen to you as well... Divorce process is no fun, but when you hire a mediator, you expect transparency. David didn't help me in this case, but for sure followed my ex husbands direction...Beware!!! read more

David has helped us through this extremely difficult and nebulous process with as much ease and patience as possible. Highly professional and responsive in each step of the way. All costs declared upfront and his pleasant demeanor is calming and reassuring. read more

My ex and I can't say enough GREAT things about David. If you don't want a contentious, expensive and painful divorce, mediation and David are most definitely the way to go. David allowed us to both express our feelings, questions, concerns and calmly kept both of us at the table. He would always explain how the court would view a situation and then let us decide how we wanted to handle something within the general confines of the law. He kept on reminding us that it was OUR contract to write. I always felt David was fair to both sides. We only needed 2 1/2 sessions and the whole process, including waiting on the courts, took only 6 months. read more

David is top-notch. He is empathetic and knows how to communicate in a way that won't cause offense to either party, even when things get a little heated. He could charge a lot more than he does for his services but chooses not to nickel-and-dime his clients for phone calls or emails. His book is easy to read and provides important legal and ethical considerations, especially when there are children involved. Divorce is difficult for everyone, but David goes the extra mile to make it as positive an experience as possible. read more

While there are undoubtedly many competent and knowledgeable divorce attorneys and mediators out there, after having interviewed several of them, David was the only one who stood out as caring and integrity-based and NOT jaded. We chose to go with him because of these characteristics and throughout the whole difficult process, he was always there, always supportive and always professional. Could not recommend a more talented and honorable person to help you through some of the roughest periods you may ever go through. read more