I was recently asked by a friend if I might recommend a mediator. The fourth sylable in the question was drowned out by my immediately blurting out "Dina Haddad". My experience, several years ago, was wonderful. I found her reasonable, empathic and mostly....psychic! She warned my ex that enagaging an attorney would result in them looking at our home and putting a lien on it. My ex had issues with how things were going and ended up aborting mediation (Dina was our 2nd attempt). She engaged an attorney. Fast forward TWO FULL YEARS : $35,000 in liens from her attorney alone, and she got nothing more than she would have had she stuck with Dina to come to a settlement. Don't be short sighted - work to resolve as amacably as possible ( your grudge dies with you, as did my ex's) and a far less costly and more resonable resolution. read more

Going through a divorce is not fun, and I wasn't sure what to expect from mediation. But honestly, it went way better than I thought it would. Our mediator Samira was incredible. She was kind, patient, and genuinely knowledgeable. She never made either of us feel judged, and you could tell she really knew her stuff. Whatever a situation came up, she either had an answer or knew exactly where to find one. These are clearly people who have done this a hundred times and bring real expertise to the table. Everyone there genuinely cared about making things fair for both sides ,not just pushing paperwork through. They kept things calm even when it got emotional, and communication was great the whole time. I always knew what was going on and never felt lost in the process. We got to a fair agreement way faster than going to court would have taken. If you're going through something like this and need people who actually care, considering giving them a call. read more

Love how my previous review got deleted because it was unfavorable. What a joke. The "owner" argued that it was invalid because nobody by this name was a client there. I'm not sure why it's so hard for a business to understand that one might not post under their real name. I had a horrible experience with Samira and wanted other people to understand that they may want to look elsewhere before coming to FFM. I was totally screwed here; my experience was very real despite it not being a 5-star review. My experience has costed me greatly - 5 years later (note: I logged back on because I noticed today that Samira continues to screw me over: something I explicitly asked to be put in my divorce agreement was left out and I didn't see that until just last week when I needed to verify information.) The absolutely worst thing I ever did - besides my marriage - was trust Samira. Listen, just proceed with caution and consider shopping elsewhere for help if you are in the unfortunate circumstance of needing a mediator or lawyer. read more

Families First Mediation recently guided my ex-wife and I through the end of our marriage, and I'm genuinely grateful for the experience. We both knew that we wanted to avoid the traditional family court route, and mediation felt like the best path forward. Working with FFM allowed us to create an agreement that felt fair for both of us and, most importantly, worked well for our child. From our first consultation to signing the final MSA, the whole process took about five months. Our initial meeting with Samira was incredibly helpful--she explained exactly what to expect and how everything would unfold. After that, we met every couple of weeks over Zoom, which made scheduling and attending sessions much easier. Samira was compassionate, patient, and highly professional throughout. She walked us through every financial and custody detail with care and made sure we fully understood each step before moving on. FFM handled everything internally, including preparing and filing all the necessary court documents. Katherine and Deborah were also wonderful--they kept everything organized, stayed on top of scheduling, and were quick to respond whenever we had questions. Divorce is never easy, but mediation made an overwhelming situation feel manageable, respectful, and far less costly than a court battle. If you're considering mediation, I can't recommend Samira, Dina, and the rest of the team at Families First Mediation enough. read more

Dina has been very kind and professional during our whole mediation process. She has a well oiled machinery that makes this daunting task much easier. What I like about her is her ability to stay calm, focused and kind. We got our divorce pretty quickly. She has been an able partner in the whole process! read more

Families First Mediation was very helpful in resolving conflict during the divorce process. Sara was extremely professional, knowledgeable and helpful every step of the way. The entire team was quick to respond and helped get the divorce finalized in a timely manner. read more

Unfortunuately my marriage went toward and ended in divorce. Thank God for the Team at families first. They were receptive, very helpful, and very fair in our case. I highly recommend them as mediators. I found that the process here was very good. They were patient and enpathetic. The process was staightforward. They guided us through each step. Additionally this was a good way to manage cost of divorce. Thank you Semira and Families first read more

Not recommended at all, we had a zoom meetings that was scheduled a Week before no one showed up to the meeting. Not responding and definitely do not appreciate your time. Bad business ethics. read more

Dina at Families First Mediation provided a well-organized mediation process. She had all the necessary documentation prepared and clearly outlined the steps we needed to take, which helped streamline what could have been a complex process. She effectively resolved disagreements in a timely manner and offered practical suggestions to guide us through each stage. read more

Dina was very professional and helpful and guided us through the mediation process in an organized fashion. She helped us stay on track while we worked towards a signed agreement. The process was comprehensive, saved us a tremendous amount of money and time, and kept us completely out of court. All of the sessions are online meetings and the process was clear from start to finish with consistent communication. Dina and her team took care of all the paperwork and court filings. read more

The divorce process with FFM was simple and straightforward. The team clearly knows the system and was able to answer all my questions fully and promptly. FFM handled the entire process from end-to-end, so that once you're done with FFM, you're legally divorced (after California's mandatory 6-month waiting period.) The mediation sessions went smoothly. Our mediator was impartial, prepared, and on-time to each session. I'd recommend FFM to anyone that needs a divorce. read more

I worked with Dina Hadad for my divorce via mediation and the experience was great. It was before Covid times so we did it in person. This is not a fun thing to do as you can imagine yet Dina is super experienced, organized, tells you all the steps to follow and supports the whole process. Highly recommend! read more

They did a great job with our situation. Very responsive and worked with us to come to an amicable result. Thank you Mike

Dina and her team helped us through our initial divorce and again when we renegotiated five years later. Dina helped us stay on track and focus on compromise throughout. She also kept us efficient which ultimately saved us money - not just over going to court but also in terms of minimizing hours. read more

We had tried to manage our divorce by ourselves, but with retirements, kids, and property, there were too many obstacles to navigate without help. We were very fortunate to find Families First Mediation and work with Dina. She was excellent about explaining Family Law, what courts would award, keeping us on track, and facilitating difficult discussions. We both felt validated and were satisfied with the outcome. This process was quite quick and much more affordable than hiring attorneys. If divorce is unavoidable, we highly recommend this service. read more

They were straight forward and asked us what to do during the consultation call. But it didn't work out for us coz my spouse backed out.

No complaints great service both in my initial divorce and the review five years later everything went smoothly.

Dina and her team were a great help in guiding us through a difficult transition with relative ease. The entire divorce process was well structured and organized, providing a sense of support and understanding that made an amicable outcome possible. Dina laid out multiple options for financial and family matters and clearly explained the law and the benefits behind each approach. Highly recommend Families First Mediation to anyone going through a divorce that would like to keep things on friendly terms. read more

Dina is very knowledgeable both in terms of the divorce laws and accounting. She is a great listener and amazing in finding a solution that works for both parties. She has a very creative mind to resolve conflicts be it about child custody, scheduling or asset division. Dina and Deborah have everything very organized, structured and efficient. Last but not least, she has a very soft heart always encouraging and referring clients for marriage counselling first before going through the process. PS. I don't think Dina needs these reviews. Try to make an appointment with her and she is usually booked up for the next two months! This speaks for itself how popular she is. read more

We went through FFM for our divorce and overall we had a pleasant experience. We worked with Samira who was very professional and explained things very clearly. The divorce process is difficult to understand and FFM did their best to make it more approachable. The meetings with Samira were always informative and thorough. There are a couple of things that my ex-husband and I didn't quite enjoy. We had a quote from our very first meeting that explained how the process worked and around how much it would cost. However we totally went over the quote. I understand each situation can be different for that to happen but we felt that our situation was very civil and pretty clear cut and straightforward and we were quite shocked to learn that the process was dragged on for quite some time after we were done with the meetings. Another thing that I didn't particularly like was that every email response was charged and put on the invoice. This made us scared to ask questions for fear of being charged even more than what we've already put down. Overall, it was fine. The process was as smooth as can be. I think divorce is never comfortable and FFM was calm and helpful in guiding us through. read more

My husband and I were going for a legal separation. We contacted FFM to see if they handled this kind of situation and yes they did. Samira was our mediator and made the process easy to understand and helped us through some difficult items which worked themselves out. Samira and Deborah were very good at getting back to us to answer and explain some questions we had. It was a pleasant experience, considering the circumstances, which helped keep our relationship on friendly terms. Thank you FFM! read more

Mediation is an unpleasant process but the calm and professional presence of our mediator made all the difference

Samira and her team at Families First Mediation were very helpful in guiding us through the divorce process. They were very thorough and professional and made a difficult process easier. I would recommend Samira and her team if you are looking to mediate your divorce. read more

My wife and I used FFM to mediate our divorce and we were very happy with the process. Dina and her team were a big help in getting us through the process. The communication was excellent, clear and easy to understand. All of our sessions were via on-line meetings so it was very convenient for us, (no traffic, travel time, etc). In particular, we had some complicated financial situations due to restricted stock. Dina's knowledge with how to handle the splitting of vested and unvested stocks and tax implications was impressive. At times it was difficult for us to understand the law and the calculations, but Dina would offer some different options and take the time necessary to help us and make sure we both understand. I cannot speak to custody negotiations because our son was older than 18. The whole process was an efficient and streamlined end-to-end process. It took us about 6 months from start to finish, including signatures by the judge. We never had to go to court at any point. With the emotional stress of divorce, having someone who we both could trust, who was very knowledgeable and who made the process as easy as possible was priceless. read more

Dina helped take our messy, lawyer filled, and potentially really expensive divorce and turn it into trusting and common sense conversations. She made a normally terrible process as positive as it could have been. Even after everything is finalized, if we have any issues we'll still come back to Dina to resolve them. She's earned the trust of us both. read more

I cannot recommend Dina and Deborah enough! They made our divorce process so easy and seamless, that we have already recommended them to several of our friends who are going through a similar situation. The one thing I did appreciate was how thorough Dina was, guiding my ex and myself through every step with our finances, child custody, support, etc. We were never kept out of the loop, they always answered our questions, and working with their team was extremely cost effective. Divorce is not easy and its not cheap, but Dina and Deborah kept it real, and helped us stay within our budget. We never had any issues with communication, billing, or paperwork. Great people and service. read more

For anyone out there navigating the legal complexities and emotional fallout of a divorce with children involved, I'd recommend Dina and Families First Mediation without a shred of reservation. She was able to skillfully work with us in acknowledging the emotional ramifications with compassion, while always maintaining a fair-minded and focused approach throughout that kept the process moving. In the end, we arrived at an agreement that was in the best interest of all parties involved, without needing to set foot in a court room or throw thousands of dollars away in litigation. Thank you, Dina! read more

Dina was fantastic - friendly and professional, good at making quick catches and redirecting when we hit snags, thorough but efficient. I very much appreciated her office's quick turnaround on questions and paperwork, and her ability to keep us up-to date and communicate milestones. The process sucks, but her approach was as good as it gets read more

I was recommended to talk to Dina while we were going through our separation and I am so glad the process was not as laborious as I thought it would be. She was very thorough in explaining the process and guide us through it with minimal stress. I definitely would recommend Families First Mediation to friends and individuals who could go through such life changing events. read more

Dina and her team are amazing, knowledgeable and extremely professional. Going through a divorce is a very difficult and emotionally draining process. Dina and her team made this process a lot less stressful for me and my ex. She sat with us and took her time to listen and help us understand the process fully. She also helped us figure out what made most sense and what was fair for the both of us. Overall First Mediation really took over the process and we hardly had to do much, which was SO nice considering what a difficult time this was. I would not hesitate to recommend First Mediation to any of my friends and family, if they ever needed it. read more

Dina was fantastic, and saved both me and my children from much of the pain and trauma of the traditional divorce process. I appreciated that my ex and I were able to take control of the divorce process, instead of paying lawyers obscene amounts of money to fight for us. Dina was always calm and fair, and was able to explain the legal process in a way that made sense - even during periods of high stress. I would not hesitate to recommend her services to others. read more

Dina helped make our divorce as easy as it can be after so many years of marriage. We are very lucky that my ex and I are still very close friends and parents. I contribute our post divorce happiness to Dina. I have referred several people to Dina and they have had similar positive feedback. I hope not to get divorced again, but it I did I would absolutely look for her help again. She was sensitive but also firm and through. By the end we both could trust her guidance knowing it was fair and balanced. read more

Dina helped us navigate the complexities of divorce and coming up with a solution that was beneficial for both of us. Dina made us aware of many aspects of divorce especially in regards to our kids, that I know will help us co-parent successfully as we move forward. If you are going through a divorce, I highly recommend Families First Mediation. read more

The divorce process went smoothly with Samira and Deborah's help. I appreciated their feedback and advice during mediation. Samira was very knowledgable and empathetic to both sides during the process. I also appreciated her honesty and input as we went through each section of our divorce. In addition, our divorce was finalized in less than 6 months, which was very impressive. If you are looking for a more affordable option, mediation is highly recommended. It is important to know that you will most likely go over your retainer, but I am still very thankful for their services. Thank you Samira and Deborah for your help and I encourage you to contact Families First Mediation if you are needing assistance with your divorce process. You will not regret it! read more

Dina brings such strength, professionalism, and wisdom to her work. Her assistance in helping me navigate a divorce kept me at ease in what can otherwise be such a messy, painful process. read more

I highly recommend working with Dina Haddad, Samira and Deborah. They were so patient and understanding of our family's needs and the emotional impact of the divorce. Their help and support truly helped us navigate those difficult times and find what is in the best interest of our kids. read more

Dina was so helpful during an incredibly difficult period in our lives. She explained legal complexities clearly and helped us craft a solution that we were both happy with. I'm deeply grateful for Dina's insights and guidance in this process. read more

I highly recommend Families First Mediation and Dina to anyone that is considering a divorce. Lawyers can be overwhelming and expensive and can make the other person feel attacked and on the defense. Working with a mediator is a much more civil way to approach this difficult time in your life. Dina made it much more comfortable for me. She explained things in easy to understand ways and listened and addressed all of my concerns. She is kind, responsive and diplomatic. She knows how to handle stressful situations or situations that are highly charged and emotional. I honestly do not know how she does it, but she does it perfectly. read more

Beginning the divorce process and seeing it through to the end is a very emotional and exhausting journey. Dina and her office were so professional throughout the entire process, thank you again. read more

I worked with Families First Mediation and was more than pleased with their attention to detail, organization, professionalism and sensitivity. I would highly recommend their services and am grateful for the respect and care they showed our situation. They were incredibly attentive, understanding and knowledgeable read more