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Richard G. Zimmerman
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Richard G. Zimmerman
Divorce Mediation Group
PO Box 1145
San Mateo, CA 94403
Phone: (650) 350-2000 | Fax: (650) 574-4268
http://www.divorcemediationgroup.com
Divorce Mediation Group: "For a Civil Divorce"
Legal Topic
Family Law
Preferred New Clients
Divorce Mediation Group provides complete mediation services to help couples who want to avoid an adversarial, litigated divorce.
In addition to divorcing couples, clients who have already completed their divorce or parents who have never been married might need to update custody and child support after their initial agreements are no longer workable or relevant.
Sub-Categories
Family Law
- Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
- Child Support
- Custody
- Visitation
- Living Together/Cohabitation
- Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements
Legal Topic
Divorce
Preferred New Clients
Divorce Mediation Group provides complete mediation services to help couples who want to avoid an adversarial, litigated divorce.
In addition to divorcing couples, clients who have already completed their divorce or parents who have never been married might need to update custody and child support after their initial agreements are no longer workable or relevant.
Sub-Categories
Divorce
- Alimony/Palimony/Spousal Support
Bar Admissions
CA, Jan 1970
Bar Number: 46207
Other Court Admissions
United States Tax Court
Association Memberships
State Bar of California; San Mateo County Bar Association.
Continuing Education
Licensed as both a C.P.A. and as an attorney, I more than fulfill the minimum continuing educational requirements for both fields, a total of 50 hours per year.
Example Cases
Confidentiality precludes revealing the names of our clients. We have a success rate in excess of 80% in bringing couples to full resolution of all issues attendant to their divorce or legal separation.
Education
Degree:
J.D.
School:
Stanford University Law School
City:
Stanford
State:
CA
Year:
1969
Focus and Accomplishments:
I concentrated on estate and income taxes.
Degree:
B.S.
School:
Indiana University
City:
1966
State:
IN
Year:
1966
Honors:
Cum Laude
Focus and Accomplishments:
B.S. with concentration in Accounting. Passed C.P.A. exam during senior year of college.
Number of Attorneys
1
State Licensed In
California
Firm Focus and History
I co-mediate with Miriam Zimmerman, who has a master's degree in communication and a doctorate in counseling psychology. She has worked as a college professor of communication for over 25 years, specializing in interpersonal communication. We provide gender-balanced team mediation with a combined toolkit of law, accounting, counseling, and communication. In addition, both of us have extensive training as mediators.
Previous Employment Summary
I served for five years as a tax accountant at Arthur Andersen & Co., specializing in individual income tax, estate planning, and life insurance company taxation. Subsequently, I spent many years in corporate finance, administration, and law, participating in both mediation and arbitration cases. Miriam has taught university communication courses, including interpersonal communication, for more than 25 years including 11 years as chair of the Communication Department at a local university.
Activities and Awards
Our mediation practice deals only with issues attendant to divorce or legal separation: division of assets, spousal and child support, parenting plans; and related issues such as prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.
Both of us serve as volunteer mediators for the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, a nonprofit organization that provides free or low-cost mediation services for residents of San Mateo County. Miriam continues to teach one communication course per semester at a local university.
What is your opinion regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?
Many clients come to mediation already having filed the initial paperwork themselves and with many of the decisions already made. We begin where they are by building on their prior agreements. We help find solutions to all divorce issues. Knowledge is empowering for both parties.
One of our objectives is to provide information to our clients to assist their decision-making. If they can obtain information on their own, the mediation time can be reduced; However, there is often a great deal of misinformation, because a friend or colleague obtained a particular outcome in their own divorce and one of the couple wants the same outcome. There are many variables to consider, for example, when it comes to spousal support, often the most contentious issue.
We do not object to clients' obtaining legal counsel during the mediation process; in fact, we sometimes encourage it. We tell our clients that the more they can work together outside mediation, the more cost-efficient our process will be. Clients do not have to make their decisions in the mediation hour with us.
Ideally, they will be empowered by the knowledge obtained in mediation and by the improved communication and be able to make their decisions together, on their own time. However, high conflict couples are often not able to agree to solutions on their own even armed with accurate information; such couples require more mediation time.
Are you willing to review documents prepared by clients?
With the Internet able to provide so much quality information, some of our clients bring to us drafts of parenting plans and division of assets. We happily review their documents as part of the mediation process to ensure that each has made informed decisions based on their respective rights and responsibilities.
Are you willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?
All of our clients are in pro per. We handle all the paperwork but they represent themselves. Since we act exclusively as mediators, we coach both parties.
Why did you decide to be a lawyer?
Originally, I intended to practice as a tax attorney. Divorce mediation has proved to be much more satisfying on a personal level, giving me the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the community.
What work experience and education helps you be a better lawyer?
Finding and resolving conflict in each of my prior positions has created an awareness of the need for a gentler approach to conflict resolution. My training in law and accounting, together with my partner's training in communication and counseling psychology, provide us with a wide range of tools to assist divorcing couples in a gender-balanced setting.
Why did you decide on your primary area of practice?
Mediation provides us an opportunity to contribute to the community by lessening conflict and hostility, helping to assure a better life for divorcing couples and the children of divorce.
What do you like best about your career?
Having the ability to assist couples deal with a painful and unpleasant issue in a constructive manner is very satisfying. The notion that we are minimizing conflict and tension, especially if children are involved, is very rewarding. On the rare occasion that couples choose to litigate rather than mediate, I feel a sense of loss at not being able to help them avoid the trauma and the emotional and financial costs of the litigated divorce.
Tell us about your law firm:
I work exclusively with Miriam Zimmerman, a caring, compassionate person who brings empathy and understanding to the divorce mediation process. We work full-time as divorce mediators and meet with clients in our offices in San Mateo and in Mountain View. We do not represent individual clients in litigated divorces.
What are your strengths and style?
My training as both a CPA and an attorney gives me the unique ability to provide both financial and legal insight to the mediation process. Working with Miriam creates an exclusive, gender-balanced mediation team providing experience through our training in law, accounting, taxation, communication, and counseling psychology.
We provide directive mediation in a caring and emotionally safe environment assuring that each party will be heard and his/her needs addressed. Our process assures that the couple will achieve a solution that best addresses their needs and desires.
Personal Interests:
My Hoosier roots have left me an avid college basketball (and football) fan. In addition, I enjoy historical novels, philately, and current events. Other favorite activities include theater, symphony, travel, and dining.
Office Manager/Assistant
None
Fax
(650) 574-4268
Office Hours
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Emergency After Hours
Yes
Foreign Languages
None
Fixed-Price Services and Fees
While we do provide some of our service at a fixed fee, the hourly rate is always a part of our fee structure.
Hourly Rates
$320
Free Initial Consultation?
There is no charge for initial telephone inquiries and consultations.
Typical Retainer
None required.
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Attorneys have passed a licensing check. Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the applicable bar associations upon joining the directory.
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