Services Provided

Our practice is devoted exclusively to family law and mediation. The services we provide include:

• representation of individual clients in family law matters
• consultation with clients who choose mediation to reach agreement on their family law issues
• premarital agreements, cohabitation agreements, postnuptial agreements
• Extended two-hour initial consultations for an in-depth analysis of
  financial and/or parenting concerns
• Mediation
• Private settlement conferences

Nanette Stringer also acts as a mediator and special master in family law cases, including for the preparation of premarital agreements, separation agreements, and marital dissolution proceedings.

Litigation and negotiated settlements

Most family law cases settle without a trial; however, sometimes parties need to have a judge resolve disputes that they cannot settle between themselves. I assist clients with the negotiation of a settlement; when necessary, I represent them in hearings and trials on the issues they have not been able to resolve.

When a judge is needed to make a decision, some couples elect to have their case heard by a private judge, which provides a more efficient and private way of resolving disputes. I represent clients in the public Superior Court in two counties: Santa Clara County and San Mateo County. If a case is before a judge, I am available in all of the Bay Area counties.

Mediation

Mediation is a popular alternative to litigation for some couples. I was one of the first family lawyers in the Bay Area to include mediation in my practice, starting in the early 1980's. I have completed both introductory and advanced mediation training workshops and continue to attend continuing education seminars on mediation issues.

Mediation is best suited for couples who retain a fairly high level of confidence in their ability to understand their financial situation and to trust and compromise with their partner to achieve a fair financial settlement that works for both parties.

Mediation Consulting

When clients are in mediation, they usually also have a family lawyer working with them individually to give advice and feedback throughout the mediation process, and to review any written agreements that are prepared in mediation. A large part of my practice involves working as a mediation consultant for clients who are working with a family law mediator.

Premarital, postmarital, trial separation, and cohabitation agreements.

I have prepared hundreds of premarital agreements over the course of my career. Additionally, I consult with clients who are planning to be married to advise as to whether a premarital agreement makes sense in their situation, as they are not always needed.

A postmarital agreement is sometimes requested by clients to define clarify or recharacterize their financial situation after marriage. For example, parties may wish to change the character of property from separate to community or vice versa, or to define their respective financial responsibilities for debts or assets. I have also prepared many postmarital agreements. For couples who are considering separation but would still like to work on maintaining their marriage, I can also help with the preparation of a trial separation agreement.

For non-married couples, whether they are domestic partners or not, I can assist with the preparation of agreements that define their financial responsibilities in the relationship.

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