Daniel R. Burk, Esq. Resolution Point LLC Email Us 9206 White Chimney Lane Great Falls, Virginia 22066 Phone: 703-668-0344 Fax: 703-438-8341 Additional offices in Fairfax City.

Divorce Mediation Services

Tough Situation

Family issues are tough. Emotions. Practicality. Personal needs. The needs of your children. Immediate concerns. On-going relationships. How do you take care of all these things without going nuts?

And if you’re contemplating divorce, you already know how hard it is. Even if you and your spouse have a relatively cooperative relationship, it can be numbing when you put together the emotions, the heartache of your dreams falling apart, and the practicality of finding ways to move forward personally and financially.

“How much time will I have with my children?” “How will I find a balance between providing for my family and enjoying my kids?” “How will the children go to college?” “Will I survive financially?” The fears and apprehensions probably seem endless.

Multiple Choices

You have a choice in resolving these questions:

Litigation: You both pay for lawyers to speak for you so that a judge who knows hardly anything about you will decide your parenting and financial fates. It’s expensive, uncertain and adversarial. It is VERY unusual that someone gets along better with their spouse or ex-spouse after a knock-down fight in court.

Mediation: A neutral mediator helps you have a conversation about the legal and financial questions that all divorcing couples must face. Even if you have a separate legal adviser, you both speak for yourself and you both pay a lot less. And the people who know the most about you and your children make all the decisions.

You also have choices in the type of mediator who helps you:

Lawyer or non-lawyer mediator. No mediator can give legal advice while mediating. But mediators can give legal information where it’s appropriate. While non-lawyer mediators can be trained in mediation, they are not trained in the law and the complexities of legal information often cause non-lawyer mediators to stay far away from providing the information. But you need the information to make informed decisions.

An important note about having your own lawyer during mediation: Lawyer mediators do not replace your own legal counsel who can give you specific legal advice and exclusively look after your legal interests. A number of participants in mediation will hire their own legal counsel. If you decide to mediate, be sure to ask your mediator about whether you should hire your own counsel as well.

Financial Advisor...or not. Parenting decisions are very important. But so is making financially sound decisions. A mediator who is skilled in financial planning, especially as it relates to divorce issues, can actually save the two of you tax money and help you avoid a property and support plan that looks OK in the short term but is financially disastrous for one or both of you in the long run. Without that training, your mediator will likely suggest that you seek other professionals for anything related to your financial future.

Virginia Supreme Court certified...or not. In order to be certified by the Virginia Supreme Court to receive court-referred cases, successful completion of many hours of classes and co-mediations are required. To mediate private cases, Virginia Supreme Court certification is not required; anyone can hang out a shingle and call himself a “mediator.” But knowing that your mediator has gone through the training to obtain the certification can add to your comfort with and confidence in your mediator.

About Our Founder and Mediator – Daniel R. Burk, Esq.

At Resolution Point, you don’t have to choose between mediators who are lawyers or not, certified or not, skilled in financial matters or not. Our mediator, Daniel R. Burk, is

• A lawyer admitted to practice in Virginia (1981) and the District of Columbia (1984).
• A certified mediator, certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia to receive court referrals from the Virginia Juvenile & Domestic Relations, General District and Circuit Courts. He is also certified to mentor mediators-in-training.
• A Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™, a designation awarded by the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts.

Mr. Burk received his Bachelor of Arts in Government from Cornell University in 1979, and his J.D., cum laude, from Cornell Law School in 1981. Mr. Burk has his “Certificate in Family Mediation” and “Certificate in Commercial Mediation” from the Northern Virginia Mediation Service and is on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Mediation Network. Additionally, after taking advanced courses and exams about the specialized financial issues involved in divorce matters, Mr. Burk received the title of Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™.

Mr. Burk has mediated and arbitrated cases in many circumstances:

• Family matters (separation, divorce, custody, support)
• Computer software and Internet development
• Intellectual property rights
• Business operations
• Construction and land ownership
• Landlord and tenant
• Automobile accident, injury, and insurance
• Consumer credit

Mr. Burk is eminently qualified to assist you in divorce mediation. Please contact Resolution Point to learn more about mediation or the services we provide. We look forward to hearing from you.

Please email us or visit our website for additional information.