A mediator is a neutral professional who helps parties identify issues, exchange proposals, and reach agreements without judicial intervention. In Arizona family law, mediators may be attorneys, mental health professionals, or retired judges with specific family law experience.

The mediator’s role is not to give legal advice to either party or to decide who is right. It is to create the conditions under which the parties can reach their own informed agreement. A good mediator helps people hear each other, understand the realistic range of outcomes if they do not settle, and focus on what actually matters to them rather than getting stuck in positional bargaining.

When a mediator is also an attorney, they are serving in a neutral capacity. They are not representing either party. An attorney-mediator who mediates a case cannot then represent one of the parties in that same matter. The neutral role is incompatible with advocacy.

Tali Best Collins, Esq. and Megan Spaulding, Esq. are certified mediators at Best Law Firm. Tali also served as a Judge Pro Tem in Maricopa County Superior Court, which gives her a clear picture of how contested family law matters are decided and what realistic outcomes look like from the bench. That perspective is directly useful in mediation.