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813-205-6675
Divorce Mediation
Litigation is the worst way to get divorced. Litigation can be long and drawn out, stressful and very expensive
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Many people think litigation is the only way to protect their interests in a divorce. In hindsight, however, going to court often turns out to be a financially and emotionally draining process in which no one wins, and everyone loses. So, what other solutions can couples separating in Florida turn to?
Attorney/Mediator Beth Reineke can help you and your partner settle your differences without a courtroom battle. Attorney Beth Reineke’s family law practice is fully dedicated to out-of-court solutions for divorcing couples. She is a true believer in alternatives to litigation and is committed to walking you and your former partner through your options and helping the two of you resolve your disputes.
To learn more, call 813-205-6675 or contact us online to schedule a mediation. You can also schedule a mediation with Beth Reineke by clicking here.
Litigation Alternatives like Pre-Suit Divorce Mediation are less costly, less adversarial, and less time consuming than a court battle. It puts the solution in your hands. However, not all mediators are lawyers, and not all lawyers are good with the financial aspects associated with divorce. Beth Reineke is eminently qualified to work with couples who have complicated financial circumstances.
Reineke has a degree in finance from the University of South Florida, graduated with honors from the University of Florida College of Law, and has been a licensed attorney in her home state of Florida since 1990. She practiced a variety of different types of commercial, property, and family law up until 1997, when she focused her practice exclusively on divorce and other family law matters. Attorney Reineke was one of less than 20 Florida Bar Board Certified Divorce and Family Law Litigators in Tampa, Florida from 2000 to 2015. In 2015 she refocused her practice exclusively on alternatives to litigation, like mediation, thus leaving the courtroom behind.
However, an experienced courtroom lawyer like Beth Reineke brings legal knowledge, financial experience, and practical insights to the mediation process that non-attorney mediators do not. Effective solutions come from experience – understanding the law, the facts and figures, and available options that will be approved by the court, and realizing when and why negotiations break down.
Attorney Beth Reineke is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Divorce Mediator. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience litigating, mediating, and settling divorce cases in the Tampa Bay Area, she conducts virtual and in person mediations for families living in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties.
Not all mediators are licensed attorneys – Beth Reineke brings legal experience and practical insights to the mediation process.
Reineke Mediations has over 3 decades of legal experience in helping families find divorce resolutions.
We believe any aspect of divorce and custody can be resolved without a courtroom fight. Beth Reineke has experience with mediating complex property division, entrenched custody disputes, and high-stakes alimony and child support issues. Reineke Mediations provides creative suggestions, gentle guidance, and reality check wisdom from years of hard work in courtroom wars.
RESOLVE YOUR DIVORCE IN 4-6 WEEKS!
Among the other substantially essential benefits to choosing mediation or other forms of ADR, most Tampa Bay pre-suit and uncontested divorce mediations reach a resolution and agreements are signed and ready for filing in four to six weeks.
Attorney Beth Reineke, of Reineke Mediations, is a proven courtroom advocate. But after seeing how much damage litigation can do without resolving the underlying disputes—and witnessing the positive outcomes of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) — she chose to no longer litigate divorce and custody cases, but instead turned her attention completely to litigation alternatives like mediation.
At Reineke Mediations, we strongly believe any aspect of divorce and custody can be resolved without a courtroom fight. Attorney Reineke has mediated complex property division, entrenched custody disputes, and high-stakes alimony and child support issues. She provides creative suggestions, gentle guidance, and reality check wisdom gained from her years of experience in the courtroom.
Beth Reineke offers a free phone consultation and reasonable rates for mediation, drafting of agreements, preparation of court documents, and other mediation related services. During your initial telephone consultation, she will discuss the benefits of mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and help you decide whether these methods are the right fit for your situation.
Attorney Beth Reineke consistently met the stringent criteria for Board Certification in Divorce and Family Law from 2000 until she stopped litigating completely in 2015. Board Certification recognizes a trial lawyer’s litigation expertise in marital and family law. At the time Attorney Reineke was Board Certified, she was one of only 20 Board Certified Marital and Family Law Litigators in Tampa, and one of only 270 in the State of Florida. Attorney Reineke no longer litigates divorce cases in court. Instead, she now privately mediates and settles divorces and other family law matters, bringing her proven expertise to the issues she currently handles outside the courtroom.
Divorce mediations can be held virtually via Zoom or in person at Attorney Reineke’s Tampa law office. The option to mediate virtually is particularly important if you or your spouse lives outside the Tampa Bay Area. Attorney Reineke has successfully mediated with many couples who travel, or cases where one party has relocated outside the state of Florida before or after the divorce.
Call 813-205-6675 or contact us online to speak with experienced Tampa divorce attorney mediator Beth Reineke. The firm accepts, Cash, Checks, and Visa and MasterCard. You can also schedule a mediation with Beth Reineke by clicking here.
As a Florida Supreme Court Certified Divorce and Family Law Mediator with over 30 years of experience litigating, mediating, and settling divorce cases throughout Florida, Attorney/Mediator Beth Reineke knows for a fact that there are multiple benefits to choosing mediation or another alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process over the knee-jerk decision to hire a divorce attorney to litigate your case. The most critical advantage to mediation and other ADR processes is that they allow you to begin planning your future now. Rather than dwelling on past grievances, mediation and ADR encourage parties to focus on moving forward and working towards solutions in the best interest of all involved.
Attorney Beth Reineke is now engaged full time as a neutral in:
Divorce mediation is a process in which a neutral third party, our mediator, helps a divorcing couple reach mutually acceptable agreements regarding various aspects of their divorce. Mediation aims to facilitate communication and negotiation between the parties. This then allows them to make decisions about issues such as property division, child custody, spousal support, and other related matters without resorting to a lengthy and adversarial court process.
Pre-suit Divorce Mediation is a process that promotes cooperation and open communication between divorcing spouses, thereby reducing costs and allowing couples to maintain control over their futures before and after they file for divorce. Because issues are settled before filing, the whole process is more streamlined, faster, and over all less expensive than court-ordered mediation and settling after a case has been filed.
Couples may not initially realize that certain issues must be addressed even in amicable, uncontested divorces. A mediator can help identify and resolve potential areas of disagreement that may not be initially apparent, ensuring that all aspects of the divorce are thoroughly discussed through open and constructive communication between the parties, resulting in a comprehensive clearly written agreement that can help prevent future misunderstandings and disputes.
In a Collaborative Divorce process in Florida, a mediator helps the couple, and their attorneys identify and prioritize the issues that need to be resolved and facilitates communication, negotiation, and an agreement between the parties. Collaborative divorce mediation is a specific approach that involves both spouses working together, along with their respective attorneys, in a safe and neutral environment where both parties can express their concerns, interests, and goals to reach a mutually acceptable settlement without resorting to a contested court battle.
Court-ordered divorce mediation is a mandatory process required by all Florida family court judges as a last-ditch effort for spouses to work out their differences before they proceed to trial. This valuable ADR method helps spouses make difficult decisions outside the courtroom by finding mutually acceptable solutions without needing a judge, who has a limited amount of time and is a complete stranger, to decide their futures and the futures of their children.
Parent Coordination is a special type of mediation that specifically focuses on child-related issues, like visitation schedules, holiday arrangements, educational decisions, extracurricular activities, and other parenting decisions. A Parent Coordinator receives specialized training and is often appointed by the court in high-conflict child custody disputes. The primary goal is to reduce conflict, improve communication, and create a more cooperative co-parenting relationship by providing a structured mediation type forum to minimize disputes and help parents find common ground.
Cooperative or amicable divorce mediation is a process where divorcing spouses work together to reach agreements on various aspects of their divorce in a collaborative and respectful manner. The emphasis is on cooperation, open communication, and finding mutually acceptable solutions. This type of mediation is often chosen by couples committed to minimizing conflict, reducing the emotional toll of the divorce process, and maintaining a positive relationship, especially when children are involved.
Post-judgment modification mediation is a process that occurs after the court has issued a divorce judgment, but circumstances have changed, leading one party to seek modifications to certain aspects of the divorce decree. This often involves modifications to child custody, visitation schedules, child support, alimony, or other financial arrangements. Mediation preserves a cooperative and respectful relationship between the parties, especially when ongoing co-parenting is involved, and can be less adversarial than returning to court for a modification hearing.
RESOLVE YOUR DIVORCE IN 4-6 WEEKS!
Among the other significant benefits to choosing mediation and other forms of ADR, most Tampa Bay pre-suit and uncontested divorce mediations reach a resolution and agreements are signed and ready for filing in four to six weeks.
Restructuring your family with its changing dynamics does not mean sacrificing your peace of mind or your children’s. Divorce and family law mediation gives you the tools to end your relationship amicably, so you can focus on the next chapter of your life rather than a lengthy and expensive court battle.
At Reineke Mediations, we believe in preserving each party’s mental health by allowing them to make informed decisions about what is fair and equitable when ending their relationships based on facts.
Our unbiased but empathic approach to successful mediation and other forms of ADR is derived from decades of watching couples choose destructive paths that are physically, emotionally, and financially devastating. Here, we provide a better way to start your new life while maintaining your dignity and self-respect.
Whether you both live in the greater Tampa Bay area, in different cities in Florida, or if one spouse lives out of state or out of the country, our skilled mediator provides in-person and virtual ADR sessions that facilitate productive discussions between couples, helping them reach mutually acceptable solutions to all their unique divorce and family related issues, including child custody, spousal support, property division, and more.
Contact Beth Reineke to find out whether your family law needs are a good fit for mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution.
Unlike some other states, Florida is a “no-fault” divorce state. For example, in Florida it is no longer necessary to allege or prove adultery, bigamy, cruelty, desertion or other grounds in order for the court to grant one party’s request for a divorce. The only allegation necessary is that your marriage is “irretrievably broken”, and this simply means that at least one spouse believes the marriage is beyond repair.
Yes. At least one spouse must have resided in the State of Florida for six months immediately preceding the date of filing of the divorce action. This is typically proved using a valid Florida driver’s license, a valid Florida id card, a current Florida voter’s registration card, or an affidavit or the testimony of a neutral third party who knows the party has resided in the state of Florida for six months immediately preceding the date of filing of the divorce action.
Yes. So long as at least one of you has resided in the State of Florida for at least six months prior to the date of filing of the divorce action, the divorce action can be filed in Florida even if one or both of you subsequently move out of the state of Florida.
This is more problematic, because the court will not necessarily have jurisdiction (the authority) to do more than grant your divorce unless your spouse consents to the court’s jurisdiction. Even then the court may not have jurisdiction over your minor children if they reside with your spouse outside the state of Florida. This question must be answered on a case by case basis.
A divorce case is filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the couple last resided together. The Clerk charges $408 to file and process the court documents for both contested and uncontested divorces.
A Simplified Dissolution of Marriage Action is a streamlined divorce action. Spouses with no joint assets, no joint liabilities, no minor children, and who are not seeking any financial relief from the other party can file a Simplified Dissolution of Marriage Action. Spouses filing
Simplified Dissolution of Marriage Actions are not required to file a marital agreement and are not required to complete and file financial affidavits. Spouses who do not meet these requirements must file a marital settlement agreement and must complete and file financial affidavits with the court clerk.
What happens immediately after the divorce case is filed depends on whether the case is contested or uncontested. If everything has been settled at mediation prior to filing the petition for divorce, and if all the court documents necessary to process an uncontested divorce have been prepared and are filed along with the petition for divorce, the clerk of court will process the court documents and then schedule a short 5-10 minute hearing before a judge or a general magistrate, who will check over the court documents and grant the divorce.
Short answer – not if you settle and file an uncontested divorce. If you and your spouse file a contested divorce action, the Rules require you to exchange and file financial affidavits with the court within 45 days of service on the Respondent. Your financial affidavit is then part of the court file and accessible by the public. If on the other hand you settle your case prior to filing, in pre-suit mediation for instance, you may not have to file your financial affidavit with the court if your spouse and you agree. Effective November 1, 2023, the Florida Supreme Court Amended Florida Rule of Family Law Procedure 12.285, permitting spouses to agree not to file their financial affidavits with the court if they have filed an uncontested case. The parties must each still fill out and exchange financial affidavits accurately reflecting their current income, monthly expenses, and identifying and valuing all of their assets and liabilities, but if they agree and file the proper notice with the court, they do not have to file their financial affidavits with the court, so they will not become part of the public record. The notice must specifically state that the parties agree to maintain copies of each party’s financial affidavit (presumably until all portions of the parties’ marital agreement have been fully performed).
Control the Outcome of Your Divorce
Divorce Mediation
Litigation is the worst way to get divorced. Litigation can be long and drawn out, stressful and very expensive
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Uncontested Divorce
Ending a marriage by mutual decision on amicable terms is the best-case scenario.
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Pre-Suit Mediation
When couples find themselves facing the challenging prospect of divorce,
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Divorce & Family Law
Because of the long-reaching implications of a divorce or custody dispute
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Collaborative Divorce
Are you and your former partner looking for a cheaper, faster, and more amicable approach to litigation
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Read MoreFormer Clients Say it Best
Beth Reineke is an invaluable resource during this challenging time in our lives. She is an experienced and knowledgeable Divorce Mediator who helped us navigate the complex legal and emotional...
Beth is wonderful. She is extremely knowledgeable, prompt, professional and easy to work with. She managed to help us get through a difficult situation as smoothly as possible and answered...
My ex chose the mediator, but I'm glad she chose to mediate with Beth! We saved a significant amount in attorney fees and things went very smooth! Beth has years...
Beth is an incredible mediator. She is knowledgeable, fair, and to the point. We decided to go with her vs hiring an attorney to save on costs. Definitely the best...
My wife and I were most impressed by the service Beth provided to us. She was highly professional, knowledgeable and explained every detail of the divorce process clearly and patiently....
Beth was outstanding. She provided calm, steady, skilled, efficient, detailed, supportive, patient, and caring guidance throughout the process. Ours was a challenging process and Beth exceeded our expectations. I would...
Beth Reineke listened carefully and used her years of experience to help us navigate through all of the various aspects of family law, and helped us make the correct decisions...
Considering the circumstances, Divorce is always high in emotion and very difficult to remain balanced in thought. In my case with my ex wife, Beth Reineke did a fantastic job...
Very thorough, neutral, and professional! We received an appointment quickly and were able to complete everything in the allotted time. Everything was explained in detail and made easy to understand....
I have known Beth for more years than I care to admit, since before she opened her mediation practice. I have an unusual perspective, as we also handled cases from...
Divorce can be so overwhelming and even being on the same page with a former spouse doesn't make the paperwork any less daunting. Beth really took the time to understand...
Clearly the process of going through the process of a divorce isn't easy. You need to know that fairness, parity and equality standards will be upheld. Does Beth take the...
Beth was a great help in the mediation. Extremely professional and great at explaining everything throughout the process. Excellent communication and was quick to get back on any questions or...
Attorney Beth Reineke devotes her law practice exclusively to mediation and other alternative dispute resolution services in divorce, paternity and family law. If you are committed to resolving conflicts without going to war, contact Reineke Mediations for a free telephone consultation. Our Tampa, Florida mediator conducts in person and virtual sessions with couples who live in and about the Tampa Bay Area – primarily, Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties.
Call 813-205-6675 or contact us using the form below.
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