Genesis Mediation

05/06/2008 Posted by pollypdx123

In going through our divorce, we both agreed that we would prefer not to use attorneys and to move forward in making joint decisions that would be fair and in the best interest of our children. After 20 years together, we had acquired a variety of assets and could have easily spent thousands of dollars working through attorneys who were out to get the "best" for their client. Instead, we chose to work with Randy. Randy met with us together and reviewed our specific individual goals. As he understood each of our points of view as well as our desired outcome, he was able to help us work through a settlement and parenting agreement that we both felt was fair, reflecting what we each wanted. Even as our situation changed mid-stream he was able to get us back on track. Randy demonstared patience and a fair and impartial approach that made us both feel equally valued and that he did not take a "side" in his recommendations. In a couple instances when we weren't sure what we wanted, Randy asked questions and presented alternative scenarios so we could make choices that would work in both the short run as well as longer term. I would recommend Randy and the mediation process as a great alternative to a traditional divorce, both for the ability to work together in a collaborative way (instead of adversarial) as well as for the significantly lower cost.

04/06/2008 Posted by seethevision

I was very impressed with Randy's work. He showed sensitivity to our family situation (divorce after 22 years of marriage and with two teenagers), and worked with us to achieve our goal of an amicable divorce. He helped us to see that our priority was in coming to an asset split as well as a parenting plan that we could both live with. He had us focusing on goals and homework, coaching us to get through all the nitty gritty details of the asset split (house refinance, selling commercial property and its income tax implications). He has a strong knowledge of the legal issues involved (for instance, what a judge would consider as sufficient visitation time between my daughter and her Dad), but states up front that he is not an attorney and is not giving legal advice. Because we already had a marriage counselor, he did not get too involved in the reasons behind our decision, aside from an initial interview. We ended up not going through the complete process as my husband and I reconciled after being separated for 11 months. When I told Randy, he was very happy for our family.

09/11/2007 Posted by lmdubay

As a Christian, I was the unwilling participant in a divorce after 17 years of marriage. Randy Kinnison at Genesis Mediation, LLC offered a sympathetic and patient ear, and provided great perspective and comfort in the period before the inevitable divorce proceedings began. He even prayed for me on a few occasions. Once it became clear that my husband was uninterested in reconciliation of any kind, I was grateful that he was willing to consider mediation as an alternative to allowing the courts to decide our fate. Randy helped us decide all important issues from familial to financial via questionaire and personal interview, many aspects of which had never occurred to us. Our situation was amicable and agreeable, with few disputes, and simple financial issues so we were able to conclude negotiations with 2 sessions. I was impressed with Randy's compassionate and caring style, and also his desire to do what he could to encourage reconciliation. When it became clear that reconciliation was not an option, Randy was sensitive to cost and used the time efficiently while still remaining thorough. We were able to have the papers drawn up by a competent paralegal referred to us by Randy. Though divorce is an unpleasant and painful process, mediation made the process less adversarial and I believe has helped us maintain a basis for remaining civil for the sake of our son. Should one find himself in this unfortunate situation, I highly recommend Randy at Genesis Mediation, LLC as a first option.