Professional Details

Kathryn Lazar &. Brett Jones
Senior MediatorSenior MediatorSenior Mediator

MHMediation

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280 Route 82
Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
USA
845.896.9651
Fax: 845.896.4353

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Description of Practice

We have been offering divorce mediation services for over 40 years. As attorney-mediators, we have extensive experience as mediators, collaborators and litigators. We also offer mediation services on line, using zoom, which we find works well, requires no travel by anyone and is therefore easier to schedule and complete. We are facilitative mediators, which means that we educate and guide our clients through the separation process, but we do not make decisions for the parties. We help them find a mutually agreeable resolution of all issues and embody those agreements in a binding separation/divorce agreement. We also assist with the negotiation of pre and post-nuptial agreements, with cases that have begun in litigation but the parties wish to try to settle their matter, and with post-divorce disputes.

Professional Background

Both Kathryn Lazar and Brett Jones are practicing New York lawyers, with substantial experience in all areas of family and divorce law.

Experience

After becoming a lawyer in 1976 and handling many family law and civil rights matters, Kathryn Lazar began doing mediation work in 1982, and has handled well over 1000 divorce mediation cases. She founded the Community Dispute Resolution Center in Dutchess County in 1984, and has conducted many mediation trainings for both lawyers and lay mediation volunteers.

Brett Jones has been a practicing divorce lawyer in Dutchess County since 2000, after graduating from Albany Law School. She has extensive experience handling divorce matters in the Family Court and Supreme Court. She has been with Lazar and Schwartz since 2011, and provides litigation, collaborative divorce and mediation services. She has a special interest in cases with complex financial assets, businesses and professional practices.

Degrees

  • Kathryn S. Lazar, Esq. Reed College, graduated with honors in Literature and Education; Cornell Law School, graduated cum laude.
  • Brett Jones, Esq. LeMoyne College, Albany Law School

Approach

The mission of MH Mediation is to assist people in conflict to resolve their disputes and reach a mutually acceptable agreement without having to rely upon third parties to make decisions for them. Through an exploration of the facts and the parties’ interests, we are generally able to formulate a mutually acceptable solution, one that is consistent with the values of the individuals and that meets their individual interests.

Fees

With the average cost of divorce in the area approaching $20,000 MH Mediation believes that making mediation available to a wider group is a necessary part of our mission.

Our fees are as follows:

Initial Consultation: $300 (per couple)
Administration Fee: $350 (payable at first session)
Each one hour mediation session: $350.00 to $450.00 per hour depending on complexity of matter
Drafting of Separation Agreement: $1,000
These fees are effective August 1, 2020
We do operate a sliding fee scale. If you feel your income and assets may qualify for our reduced fee, please call our office at: 845-471-7167. We then schedule a consultation to determine your eligibility for a reduced fee.

Other Information

Additional information can be found at our other website Lazarandschwartz.com

Areas of Practice

  • Adult Family
  • Appellate
  • Divorce (all issues)
  • Divorce (parenting)
  • Estate Planning
  • Family
  • Marital Mediation
  • Online Family/Divorce
  • Online Mediation
  • Prenuptial

Professional Services

  • Mediator
  • Mediating Lawyer
  • Collaborative Professional
  • Facilitator
  • Online Mediator
  • Mediation Trainer
  • Representational Lawyer
  • Advanced Mediation Trainer
  • Mediation Consultant
  • Strategic Planning
  • Conflict Coach

This dispute resolution professional keeps professional liability insurance.