Soft Landing Mediation for Separation and Divorce
Separation is hard enough without a long fight in court. Soft Landing Mediation gives you a clear path from the first conversation to a signed agreement. You work through four stages at your own pace, with a mediator guiding each step. Some couples move through quickly, others need more time, and both are fine. The goal is an agreement you understand, can afford, and can live with.
Soft Landing Mediation for Separation and Divorce
A clear path from the first conversation to a signed agreement, with a mediator and CDFA guiding every step.
Separation is hard enough without a long fight in court. Soft Landing Mediation gives you a clear path from the first conversation to a signed separation agreement, with one neutral mediator who is also a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst guiding each step. Some couples move through quickly, others need more time, and both are fine. The goal is an agreement you understand, can afford, and can live with.
Ken S. Maynard, AP.fm, CDFA, has mediated separations across Ontario since 2010, by video anywhere in the province and in person at six Greater Toronto centres. Call 1-888-752-5819, or book a free 15-minute call below.
1. Information
Full financial disclosure, same numbers for both of you
2. Communication
Each of you heard, the quieter spouse included
3. Decision making
Settlement options run as real after-tax numbers
4. Agreement
A draft agreement, then your own lawyer's advice
Every file moves through those four stages. The pace is set by your situation, not by a formula. Many couples reach a complete agreement in about four meetings. Others need more time, and that's fine. See the full Soft Landing Mediation roadmap.
Three ways we can help
Soft Landing Mediation
For couples with issues still to settle: parenting, child and spousal support, the home, pensions, a business. You work with one neutral mediator who is also a CDFA, so the financial analysis happens in the room instead of in a separate retainer. How mediation works.
Divorce financial planning
For one spouse, or both, who want to know what a proposed settlement really means over the next five, ten and twenty years. The Settlement Stress Test models support, property division and cash flow after tax, before you agree to anything. What a CDFA does.
Naked Divorce Filer
For couples who already have a signed separation agreement and need the divorce itself. We prepare and file the uncontested divorce application for a flat fee, so you don't pay lawyer rates for paperwork. How the filing service works.
What it costs
We publish our fees because most of the people who call us have already been quoted a retainer they can't afford. A complete mediated file, from disclosure to a draft separation agreement, runs $2,140 to $7,060 per couple plus HST, depending on how much has to be worked out. Mediation time is $250 an hour with a senior mediator, which is $125 an hour each, or $160 to $190 an hour with an associate. The documents are set fees. We work on a sliding scale, so some families pay less.
| Soft Landing Mediation | Two lawyers negotiating | Family court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | $2,140 to $7,060 per couple plus HST | $5,000 to $15,000 or more per spouse | $10,000 to $50,000 or more per spouse |
| Who decides | The two of you, with the numbers in front of you | Lawyers negotiate; you decide at the end | A judge, within what the law lets a court order |
| Financial analysis | Done in the room by a CDFA | Separate retainer, if at all | Experts hired by each side |
| Typical timeline | Weeks to a few months | Months | A year or more |
| Legal advice | Each spouse's own lawyer reviews the draft | Built in | Built in |
If you and your spouse already agree on everything and your finances are simple, a flat-fee lawyer drafting from your terms can be competitive with mediation, and we'll tell you so on the call. Our mediation cost page prices a complete file line by line.
Not sure whether mediation fits your situation?
Fifteen minutes, no obligation. You'll leave knowing whether a screened mediation is right for you, what it would cost, and what to do first.
Why we start with mediation, not court
Family court is built for two people who can't agree and need a judge to decide. It does that job, slowly and expensively, and it can only order the things the law lets it order. Most separating couples don't need a decision imposed on them. They need the numbers, a process that keeps the conversation civil, and an agreement each of them understands. The people who work inside the court system say the same thing.
"Entering the litigation process forces people to take an adversarial stance because that's the way the system is designed."
June Maresca, Family Court Judge
"At one point my mom said, well, you have to choose who you're going to live with, me or your dad. And I couldn't study for about a good two months, and we had finals coming up."
A child of divorce
"The time has come for a fresh conceptual approach to resolution of family disputes in Ontario."
Warren Winkler, Chief Justice of Ontario, 2007 to 2013
The resolution value ladder
The further down the ladder you start, the more it costs and the longer it takes. Whether you have a settlement in mind and need a separation agreement prepared, or you need help reaching one, starting with a neutral mediator keeps the cost and the conflict contained.
What happens on a Get Acquainted Call
- You tell us where things stand. Married or common-law, children or not, what's agreed and what isn't. You can book on your own or together.
- We tell you honestly whether mediation fits. Every mediation starts with a private screening of each spouse. If a screened process isn't safe or sensible for you, we'll say so and point you to a lawyer first.
- You get a cost and a next step. A realistic range for your file, what documents to gather, and a date for a first meeting if you want one. No pressure either way.
The call is free and confidential, and nothing you say on it is shared with your spouse.
What couples say afterwards
Ken is more than a divorce financial expert and mediator, he is a passionate problem solver focused on what's best for the family. I found Ken to be effective and efficient in what he does and would recommend him to anyone going through a separation
Dave R, Aurora
Ken I really appreciate the work you put into this and I wanted to say it's been a pleasure to deal with you. God Bless and thank you.
LL, Woodbridge ON
Even though we believed things were amicable, still had a level of tension and stress we didn't expect. Divorce the Smartway helped to ensure my ex and I knew what we were entitled to and helped to make sure both of us were fair in what we were negotiating. People think they can do this on their own. And I was one of those people. Believe me, you cannot. Ken was professional and understood when emotions ran high. And made himself available for the many questions. Divorce the Smartway took a lot of the stress of paperwork and negotiating out of the way and helped me to focus on entering into a new phase of life
Nancy P. Barrie Ontario
Guides people read most
- How to divorce a narcissist in Ontario: the stages, the tactics, and what the law already gives you
- What a separation agreement costs: real numbers by route, and the lawyer fee most pages leave out
- How long a divorce takes in Ontario: the timeline, stage by stage
- A guide to co-parenting: cooperative, parallel and everything between
- How much mediation costs in Ontario: a complete file priced line by line
- Divorce Financial Readiness Scorecard: ten minutes to find out how prepared you are
Free calculators
- Child support calculator for Ontario
- Canada Child Benefit after separation
- Matrimonial home buyout
- Can I keep the house?
- Budget after divorce
Where we work
Most of our mediation is by video, which works for couples anywhere in Ontario and for spouses who no longer live in the same city. If you'd rather meet in person, we have meeting rooms at six Greater Toronto centres:
We also serve Oshawa, Peterborough and Cobourg, and families from Ottawa to Thunder Bay by video.
Reading keeps you informed. Talking helps you feel better.
If you've read this far and still don't know your next step, let's talk it through in a free, no-pressure call.
Separation and divorce mediation: common questions
What is Soft Landing Mediation?
A four-stage mediation process run by a mediator who is also a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst
The four stages are Information, Communication, Decision Making and Agreement. The financial analysis most couples pay a separate professional for happens inside the mediation, so both of you see the same numbers before anyone agrees to anything. It ends with a draft separation agreement that each spouse takes to their own lawyer.
How much does divorce mediation cost in Ontario?
With us, $2,140 to $7,060 per couple plus HST for a complete file, with mediation time at $250 an hour split between you
The documents are set fees, and published rates are our standard rates. We work on a sliding scale, so some families pay less. Independent legal advice from each spouse's own lawyer is separate, usually $300 to $1,200 per person.
Do we both have to agree to mediation?
Yes. Mediation is voluntary, but one spouse can start by booking a call and we'll help you propose it to the other
Most spouses say yes once they understand it costs a fraction of two lawyers and keeps the decisions with the two of you. Our guide on how to propose mediation gives you the wording.
Can we mediate if we don’t get along?
Often, yes. Each spouse is screened privately first, and the process adapts: shuttle sessions, video, separate arrival times, or a pause if it isn't safe
Couples don't need to agree with each other to mediate. They need to agree on the numbers, and that's what the disclosure stage produces. Where the screening says mediation isn't appropriate, we'll tell you and point you to a lawyer.
Is a mediated separation agreement legally binding?
Yes, once it's written, signed, witnessed and each of you has had independent legal advice from your own lawyer
The mediator drafts the agreement from what you've decided and sends it to each spouse's lawyer. Full financial disclosure is what makes it hold; an agreement signed without it can be set aside later.
Do you give legal advice?
No. A mediator is neutral and doesn't advise either spouse. Each of you gets legal advice from your own lawyer before signing
What we do give you is the financial picture: what each option costs, after tax, over time. That's the part most couples never see before they sign.
