A Fair Way Mediation Center

As previous Unilocal reviewers have stated, AVOID this guy at all costs. He is extremely unprofessional and lazy. He will act as if he will assist you through the process yet he does anything but that. He’s a scam. Gives you false information, files documents incorrectly and worst of all, lies about providing you correct information. AVOID AVOID AVOID

My husband and I went to a fair way mediation to settle the money and child division of the marriage. Rich however would bash my husband to me and me to my husband. He was very unprofessional and used dirty language to get his point across. I was shocked at how he handled our divorce process. He has not reached out to let us know the steps. We had to actually seek the court mediaton to resolve what we paid Rich to do. We basically lost money for nothing. The paper work for the divorce was done wrong and we had to do work that he should have been doing that’s why he was paid. Rich was also pushy and made fun of my husband like he knew him for years. I would not recommend the man to anyone. We would like to get our money back because we paid money on work that was done half ass.

We saw Rich about 6 months ago… Let me start by saying that Rich is a nice guy. Or at least he will present himself as such initially. But, the facts are that he is a scam artist. He’s really good at selling his services but you’ll regret it if you choose him. He billed me for services never rendered, talked negatively about me to my wife behind my back. He called me on the phone to ask a question, talked to me for 20 minutes about the weather, news and such and then billed me for 2 hours. He quoted us figures for child support and alimony that ended up being totally wrong… As others have mentioned, he asked us details about our sex lives… I could go on and on. Easiest said — stay away! Classic sleaze! I am sorry I didn’t do more research before we went to see him.

OMG! What a rip off! As one other reviewer said, his billing practices are totally ridiculous. He had nearly all of our information wrong: addresses, employers, etc. I pointed this out along with a plethora of spelling and grammatical errors. The document went back and forth via email several times, and I was billed for all of it. What started out as a simple process ended up being very frustrating, taking nearly a year, and costing nearly three times what we thought it would be. What did we get in the end? Twelve pieces of paper that a paralegal could have written for a fraction of the price.
Regardless of Rich’s reply, the terms of our divorce did NOT change but once. As I said before, the paperwork was full of errors that his office made, and we got billed for the time that he took to correct them. Too bad I cannot give zero stars.

My divorce was a difficult thing to go through. I cannot think or want to remember how difficult it was for me and my Ex. I really wanted to put it behind me and move on with my life. Rich made it so, He was considerate in all steps of the process.
First and after the retainer was signed and the meetings started we were a bit apprehensive and worried if this is actually was going to work.
It was extremely simple and effortless on our part. I guess because both myself and my Ex were ready to call it quits and had a good understanding about our split. I say this is critical in any type of mediation to have that understanding.
This process is not going to solve your problems or issues you have festering between you and your soon to be Ex. If you have issues and cannot trust this process go fight it in courts and pay through the nose in attorney fees, hearings and court fees. If you reach an accord among yourselves this process will become effortless, inexpensive and keep some money in your pocket. This is what we had and did. in fact way after our divorce we had a few scenarios come up and reach out to Rich and he went out of his way to address them, believe it or not, not a penny was asked of us to pay. i was blown away by the way he got it handled and the explanations he gave the both of us, it was the best resolution for both.
Read a lot of the reviews here before I proceeded, was a bit concerned after seeing a lot of dissatisfaction. Did not get deterred in proceeding, it was like I said, easy and effortless… I can only say to most, resolve your issues of mistrust and soften your position if you want this to work. If you want a fight go to court and fight it out. Pay the money and move on, Rich is not going to solve your issues, you got yourself in that situation. A lot of you reviewing this process negatively are asking for a psychiatrist not a mediation, and remember if you cannot reach a agreement in ten or fifteen hours of consultation you are going to be billed extra.
Fix your issues first and have an open mind that concessions will be key to get the best out this service. Don’t blame the man for your own issues. and remember it’s a divorce your are trying to finalize, it is not a simple dispute.

Several points:
His billing practices were ridiculous! He asked for a $ 1700 retainer, then he quoted me the price per hour– then when we got there it was double– he said the amount he quoted was the amount for each of us!
After the first meeting he called each of us to talk about how it went– and then billed us for the time we talked to him!
He asked us details about our sex life… why would he need to know that?
When I asked to use the restroom he accompanied me– and bad-​mouthed my husband– not very professional…
He told my husband at the time that if I moved out he would be responsible for paying all the bills and the mortgage on the house– it really freaked my husband out– and of course wasn’t true.
Lastly– this guy is NOT a lawyer– he did not pass the bar.
We lost a lot of money on this guy– he refused to refund any of the money, even though we only met with him once– and he failed to file our paperwork– delaying our divorce an extra 6 months because we thought he filed and we waited the 6 month waiting period before finding out from our new attourney mediator that he hadn’t followed through… a nice website, does not a good business make!

Obviously divorce is never going to be a positive experience. But, Rich did make the process better. He was patient, kind and honest… with both of us. People don’t always want to hear «honest» while divorcing, but he was honest anyway.
Rich Gordon is a mensch and I would recommend him hands down, any day, any time.

I do want to thank Rich for the professional and calm manner in which he mediated the divorce for my wife and I during these past several months. This will not go down as a favorite time of my life, but Rich certainly made the transition easier.

Terrible and terribly unprofessional.
Richard Gordon was hired for a simple dissolution that has turned into a headache. I was send paperwork to sign off on the documents and returned them in a self address envelope to Mr. Gordon. Apparently he never received them and of course it was my fault, but judging from the fact that he didn’t even spell my name right in the divorce papers (among numerous other errors) i am guessing that his mailing labels were incorrect as well.
On the phone he used tempered words like Sh*t and Fu*k, then ended the conversation by hanging up on me, and I didn’t even get my question answered. I have worked for a law firm for 8 years now and have never experienced such behavior from a «professional», nor have seen any case handled so poorly.

Awful. My ex-​wife and I used Rich when we separated. We both left strongly disliking him, and we’re apparently not the only ones. After talking to others, we’ve discovered that he’s got a reputation for being sleazy and unscrupulous. And on a minor note, he uses the Comic Sans font in his collateral — should’ve been an instant tipoff.

Rich Gordon provided excellent service for me and my ex.
He met with us and thoroughly explained the process, handled the paperwork efficiently and professionally, and contacted us as needed via phone and email. He helped us as we completed the documents and took care of all the court filings and other requirements as promised, and on time so the process was done by the end of the year.
His fees were fair. The work was done efficiently and as anticipated by both of us.
I highly recommend Fair Way Mediation Center for couples who want to end their marriage with as little trouble and cost as possible, and need help to work out their property and other issues. Rich did a great job, as promised, on time and at a reasonable price.

I met Rich several years ago when he assisted me with mediating my divorce. I found him immediately disarming, intelligent and upfront about fees and the process. Every step was met with an informative suggestion. He was supportive to both of us and helped a sticky situation remain on track and moving forward. I have since recommended him to anyone looking for mediation services. Relationships come and go, but Rich is someone I professionally return to as an excellent resource time and time again.

I used Rich several years ago to assist in my divorce and found him very knowledgeable and helpful. I have recommended several clients and friends to him and no one has said a negative thing about his services.
And I caution everyone ahead of time that he is only mediating — if the parties involved are not going to work together and with him, then there is not much he can do.

This is the deal divorce sucks no matter what. We can blame others all day for what they did or didn’t do for them. The truth is we are just mad our marriage s failed. I got divorced over 7 years ago and was a stay at home Mom with 2 little kids and really had no idea even how to pay the electric bill. Rich really helped clue me in to what my rights were. He opened my exes eyes to what was fair in the divorce and wasn’t just a paper shoveler. He actually cared that it was fair for both parties. He helped us have a court order that was in place and helped us have a real schedule for our kids. The way he calculated the money for child support made that part easy,. The only problem with that was the other part hence the ex… I would use him again and again!!!

Rich Gordon saved us 1000s of dollars and we were able to agree while not involving the courts. I was a marriage family therapist and I know that during times of separation and divorce, partners can be malicious, have hidden agendas, not keep their commitments, lie and much more.
Tough love is not always about making you feel good or agreeing with you. Rich is very loving and passionate and good with what he does. As any good mediator would do — he’s not there to be your buddy. He’s there to mediate, to be objective. If you want a friend — go call one.
Rich helped us to steer through rough waters. He is «FAIR». I say this because he not only called my ex out on «his stuff,» but he called me out on «my stuff» too.
I told my ex that I’d give him Thanksgiving and Christmas the first year of our split… in hopes that he would reciprocate my tone and giving attitude. My ex did not follow my lead. I tried pulling my offer back and Rich told me that wasn’t ok. I was mad but I knew he was right.. I was pissed! Not at Rich — at myself. Rich taught me a huge lesson. Luckily, I was able hear it. Now, my ex and I always follow through with what we say we will do. Integrity is of utmost importance and Rich taught us that. But during hard times, It’s way easier to find fault and point fingers at someone else rather than taking an honest look at ourselves.
After reading the above reviews, I am sad that it seems people aren’t taking ownership of some of their contributions. I would hate any of those reviews to reflect Rich — because they are far from the truth. He helped my ex and I build a strong framework for co-​parenting.
Potential Clients — During a mediation session, Rich isn’t going to magically get you and your partner to communicate in the way you have always wanted. He doesn’t have the power to make you reasonable, a good listener, a reflector of the spouse’s opinions while not defending your own. He can’t stop you from being critical or stubborn. After all, the relationship you created with your soon to be ex — will have the same issues it always has — why wouldn’t those play out in mediation??? Of course they will — that’s why you weren’t able to make it work!!.
Rich creates a safe atmosphere with guidance and blending of his knowledge. He reminds you to pick and choose your battles. He helps you to see the big picture. Rich Gordon is objective — he listens to the facts, and opinions of the situation. He draws on his many years of experience and the law. Ultimately, we are all responsible for protecting ourselves.
Just as if we were going to have surgery and we picked the best doctor to perform it — getting a second opinion to confirm that, «yes — what this doctor said is the best approach — go for it ‚» or «that sounds the way to go,. What do you think about adding «xyz» to the procedure? In my opinion, after coming to agreements in a Fair Way Mediation, all parties should pay an attorney a 1 – 2 hour fee to have the attorney look over the final documents before signing.
Having a GOOD divorce is not for the weak. It takes strength to go through the pain. It takes melting of anger to feel the sadness and it takes vulnerability and courage to start over. This is NOT a fun time. There is no way for Rich to make it so. Nothing is funny — even his jokes… lol now they are in hindsight — 4 years later!
Thanks Rich — for being so amazing, fair and compassionate. Thanks for helping to light the big picture for us. Good luck to those trying to get to the other side!
Lily

Rich helped us navigate the path to separation and divorce with unbiased clear headedness, compasion and determination to make it work equitably for all. He is totally professional, understanding that this painful process doesn’t need to even more painful through a bad settlement. For us it was the best way to go. I would highly recommend Rich for anyone entering this process.

Rich is an outstanding person and mediator.
He is honest, fair, understanding, and helpful. He knows when to listen, when to encourage, and most of all, he has an uncanny ability to understand people and situations.
Rich is balanced — careful not to favor either side throughout the process. Yet he is able to bring focus and closure on some very emotionally challenging issues. His sense of humor was instrumental to diffuse some of the inevitable tense moments that occur during the process.
Mediation is the best path for a very painful process, and Rich is an outstanding guide in that journey.

Rich Gordon helped us make our divorce easy and effortless. He was professional and offered suggestions that we had not thought of. As a former divorce mediator myself, it was interesting to go to someone else to help me with my divorce.
Rich was impartial, offered good advice and did everything in a timely manner. He made what could have been a very painful process one that was as easy as it could be. I would definitely recommend Rich if you want to avoid the high cost of lawyers and still have an agreement that you can live with that is unbiased and in the interest of both parties.

The initial meeting with Rich was pleasant. He’s really good at selling his services but you’ll regret working with Rich. He tried to charge us for services that never happened… like 1hr. for the first initial call for inquiring about his services… a phone call that never happened because I inquired by email. Who charges a potential new client to learn about the business from the first call!!! He tried to charge for the initial and only face-​to-​face meeting/​consultation my ex and I had with him although he emailed that ½ hr. was complimentary. Rich never acted as a ‘mediator’ — my ex and i had to negotiate outside of Rich b/​c all he did was email whatever my concerns were to my ex and vice versa… Emails written to Rich was written in confidence and Rich simply forwarded an unedited original copy to the other party. That’s not professional and doesn’t define the job of a mediator. The initial MSA paperwork he drafted had another couple’s names on them. Rich still mis-​spelled our names when we did tell him the paperwork was incorrect. We found tons of spelling errors and mistakes on how clauses were described. How can a ‘professional’ mediator create sloppy Legal Paperwork where we (the clients) had to be the ones who had to make sure our own legal divorce paperwork was written up correctly, had our names spelled correctly, and that this legal document had no spelling errors. We were crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s. Rich tried charging us for all the legal document mistakes we found… which should’ve been typed up correctly from the start !!! It’s like going to a car repair shop where they only fix an oil leak in the car, they use tape, you bring it back in and they charge you again to plug the leak the right way. Is this something you want to worry about when you’re already stressed out with getting divorced? Find another mediator. Rich should rename his company

This guy is an incompetent. After 15 plus years, he should not have to advertise as much as he does, if he were any good at all. Spent a bunch of money on him and then had to get lawyers anyway, because the agreement he produced was crap. Also, favors one gender in discussions. Don’t be fooled by his professorial look and demeanor– he doesn’t know what he’s doing!