Colleen was very professional and passionate during this process. I felt very comfortable that she would do the best job for both parties. She answered all of my questions and explained the whole process with me. I would recommend Colleen hands down. read more

Colleen McNamee is the absolute best[!!] When we started out on our journey of going through a divorce, I felt overwhelmed from every direction and had no idea where to begin or what to expect. I've heard all the horror stories of things turning ugly and costs rising as the process drags on and on. BUT, I am SO thankful we went with Colleen!! She made the whole process clear, concise, & cost effective. She helped us communicate peacefully and reach an agreement that worked for both parties. She is very professional and yet the kindest human being! [Thank you Colleen from the bottom of my heart for everything!!] read more

For all those that need to go through the process and that are confident that they have a mutual agreement moving forward, this is an amazing option. As many have stated, this is never easy. Colleen clearly outlined the process, the requirements and certainly provided equal guidance to both of us. I am very comfortable in providing this recommendation. read more

No one looks forward to getting divorced, its one of the hardest things that ever happened to me, but Colleen made the transition as smooth and cordial as possible. She is knowledgeable way beyond the scope of a mediator, she helped us organize our affairs in a way that was fair and beneficial to both parties. She has a caring persona that helps the process move along without feeling too painful. i would highly recommend Colleen to both friends and family, she is kind respectful and professional. Most importantly I'm very thankful to Colleen for making this a peaceful cordial transition. read more

Colleen is truly exceptional to work with. I had not considered mediation because I just wanted the divorce to be done with as little impact to me as possible. My impression of mediation was that there might be some negotiation or therapy included. My ex preferred it and I offered to try with little expectation that this would meet my needs. Mediation definitely ended up being the better route in terms of cost, efficiency, and aligning with my ex on our goals. Colleen is professional, prepared, and direct. She's dedicated to ensuring that both parties are in alignment and working towards a common goal. Nothing is left on the table to be a surprise in the end. She makes sure that everything is clear and understood by both parties before moving forward as well as takes the time to answer any questions. As with any separation/divorce there is nuance to be considered. She listened to our concerns and goals and facilitated conversations between my ex and I so that we were both comfortable with the final MSA. read more

Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way that all divorce mediators are not alike. Virtually anyone can take a course or two and start offering this service - and some lawyers seem to be doing just that to generate some "easy money" on the side. I can tell you from personal experience that an attorney who devotes the majority of his/her practice fighting for one side in nasty divorce litigations may not have such an easy time switching gears when sitting down at the table for your mediation - not to mention treating your case like a side job that they're squeezing in between their more profitable court cases. Colleen practices ONLY mediation, and I can personally attest to the reality that there's a HUGE benefit to working with a practitioner who not only understands family law inside and out, but who spends 100% of her time in the mindset of NEGOTIATING vs WINNING. Colleen has a unique gift for balancing professionalism with heart, and impartiality with compassion and respect for both sides. There's no legal mumbo-jumbo; she explains things in plain English and is organized and accessible. Divorce, even when amicable, is hard enough without added stress from a poorly executed mediation. Don't underestimate how quickly things can go downhill if both parties don't feel equally represented. Having experienced both the good and the bad, I wholeheartedly recommend Colleen. read more

Colleen is consummate professional. Measured and fair with her approach. Can't be more satisfied with my experience with her!

Colleen was great. She made a difficult process easier and I appreciated her ability to remain fair and neutral throughout.

I highly recommend mediation as the route to go for divorce, and especially Colleen McNamee as she make our divorce process as uncomplicated as possible. Colleen was extremely professional, helpful, and thorough in helping us through our divorce. She was prompt in answering all of our questions, and very patient and understanding with us during an emotionally difficult process. read more

If you choose to be fair to your spouse during a divorce, McNamee Mediations is the way to go. Colleen is extremely professional and knowledgeable and you know you are in good hands. Should there be bickering, she presents the big picture to both parties in a way that is understandable and easy to resolve. She is also very creative in solving difficult matters. The whole process takes a few months instead of years and is much nicer on the pocketbook. I highly recommend McNamee Mediations. read more

Colleen is truly amazing. Divorce is a painful process and I wouldn't have made it without Colleen. She remained neutral and fair throughout the process and offered sound advice. I'd highly recommend her to anyone I know. read more

As someone who was on the receiving end of a divorce I didn't want, Colleen made the process bearable. I definitely wouldn't have had the heart to make it through a standard divorce procedure so this was a much welcomed alternative. Colleen broke everything down in very simple terms which made slogging through the process of dividing everything much easier. My ex wanted it done as quickly as possible and thanks to Colleen, she was able to accommodate that. Colleen was very courteous, professional and even handed when it came to dealing with both myself and my ex. If I ever know anyone in the future that has to go through this kind of painful life change, I would definitely recommend they go through Colleen. read more

My husband and I tried separation and came to the conclusion that divorce was the best solution to end our 30+ year marriage. I had already spoken with a lawyer that came highly recommended. He was very good, but extremely expensive. My ex and I were still on reasonably good terms, so I researched mediators in the area and found that McNamee Mediations had a solid reputation and a large number of excellent reviews. (Add my 5 star review to the list because Colleen was everything they said and more!) Our split was pretty straightforward, but we still had a house and finances to unwind. Colleen was very knowledgeable and professional every step of the way and her communication skills are top notch. She always replied to emails and phone calls almost immediately, and kept everything on track with good follow up. Each meeting was clearly defined as far as what would be covered and what information we would need to provide. There were no surprise fees and our costs were a fraction of what it would have been if we had both had to engage separate attorneys. I also appreciated the fact that Colleen was always patient and understanding of BOTH of our needs. I think each of us came away feeling we had been fairly represented. Best of all, I came away with no sense of regret or worries that I might have been better off with a separate attorney. Going through a divorce is painful, but McNamee Mediations made it bearable. I have already recommended her services to two other friends. If you are on the fence about hiring separate divorce attorneys versus mediation, I strongly suggest you make an appointment and meet with Colleen. You won't regret it! read more

Colleen helped me through a very difficult time in my life when I decided to proceed with the divorce process. She explained in detail the entire process, she clarified questions and always responded to my messages within a couple of hours. She's also well organized, have our documents well prepared prior to each meeting. Most importantly, she was always flexible with the appointment times that we requested. She made the entire process easy and painless. I am glad that I found her. Thank you Colleen! read more

I could not be happier with the guidance and direction I received from Colleen McNamee. She never billed me excessively, my divorce was final in less than a year, and I recommend her without question. Colleen is both fair and supportive with my ex husband and I when it came to negotiations. She provided referrals for future needs (Financial Adviser, Real Estate Representative, Mortgage Broker, Trust Attorney). She is awesome! Didn't try and bs me and was a pleasure to work with during a most difficult time. I highly recommend her. Don't waste your money on separate attorneys! read more

Colleen is mine and my husband's go to person for all marriage help & advice. I think it's important to emphasize that not only does she help couples ending their marriage or having custodial issues, but she also helps people try to SAVE their marriage with a concept she personally developed called the "Marriage Contract." Colleen also does Cohabitation Agreements for couples living together but who don't want to marry to help prevent issues arising for them down the road, and she helps people before they get married with Prenuptial Agreements. She has such a wide variety of services that she offers, all with the same goal of helping people in any way that she can. Colleen genuinely cares about her clients and will do everything she can to help them with whatever issue they are facing. My husband and I both highly recommend her expertise and her services! read more

Mediation is the way to go. I can't stress enough that mediation verses going to court is the way to get through your divorce. Life changing experiences are hard enough, let alone more trauma and heartache that the process of divorce can cause you. The other obvious burden is the cost, mediation saved us thousands of dollars. Why people would want to go to court is beyond me. Time alone is your enemy, to drag out a divorce With a long process is not healthy for anyone. About McNamee Mediation- Thank goodness for Colleen McNamee. She walked me through every step. She was respectful, personable, and patient. She is a real person with real answers. She was never cold or uncaring, (which I think most people would expect of a mediation/divorce attorney professional). As you can see I'm a fan. No BS, I was married for 30 years and this was a heartbreak for me to go through. I am grateful to Colleen McNamee and would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone who is considering mediation. Enough said. read more

After over 25 years of marriage, I never expected to find myself needing a divorce attorney or mediator. Unfortunately, that is exactly where I found myself. I did some online research and stumbled across Colleen's website. Upon having an initial phone consultation, both my husband and I felt very comfortable with Colleen and with mediation. Colleen is so caring and knowledgeable, and she helped us navigate the process without conflict. In just under two months, all the paperwork was completed. Divorce is the most painful thing I've ever been through, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but with Colleen's guidance, we were able to come to a resolution without causing more pain. read more

Colleen was very professional and extremely helpful for our situation. She was accurate and compassionate towards both of our families. She provided lots of information and options, to help us resolve our issues. We were very happy with her help and she did an amazing job at presenting creative options that would best resolve our custody issues. I would highly recommend her to anyone who needs help with their family law issues. read more

Colleen is a trusted advisor for me and my wife. Mediation is not just for divorce! Colleen at McNamee Mediations has helped me and my wife with a number of legal issues, none of which have been simple or small-potatoes. She has been fair and generous, and has saved us thousands of dollars in fees and costs. She is highly intelligent and possesses a prescience that only comes with the tremendous experience that Colleen has under her belt. She returns calls and emails same day. Her office is conveniently located off the 405 in Irvine right across from the OC Airport. read more

My boyfriend and I had dated for a number of years and finally decided to get married. He had started a business while we were together and was convinced that he needed to have a prenuptial agreement drafted in order to ensure that if we ever divorced I would not be able to get any of his assets he had worked so hard for, including the business. As you might imagine, I was not really happy when I heard this and couldn't understand why we were getting married in the first place if he didn't trust me and if he didn't think the marriage was going to last? This caused a lot of discord in our relationship..... He went ahead and hired an attorney and had the attorney draft a prenuptial agreement. It felt like it was just one issue after another with this attorney and so I decided I definitely wanted this agreement reviewed! I was referred to Colleen by another attorney who my fiancé and I had used on an independent matter previously. She came very highly recommended, and now I see why. Colleen was very straightforward and methodical in both our conversations with each other, as well as her review of the prenuptial agreement itself. She walked me through the agreement paragraph by paragraph making sure that I understood what each paragraph meant and asking if I was okay with it. I had brought my fiancé with me because I wanted to him to hear what Colleen had to say since I felt he had received so much misinformation from his own attorney already. Lo and behold there were a number of things in the agreement that he had NEVER discussed with his attorney and had never even asked to be in the agreement in the first place! This caused some tension between my fiancé and I right there in front of Colleen. Colleen interrupted and assured us that changes could be made that would ultimately make both of us comfortable with the wording in the agreement. We spent the rest of the appointment with Colleen coming up with new verbiage that wasn't as offensive, was exactly the protection my fiancé was seeking, yet I think made both of us feel like it was more of a collaborative effort. I really wish we had worked with Colleen from the very start. We could have saved ourselves so much angst while we were trying to prepare for our wedding..... But that's not the end of our saga. We went back to my fiancé's attorney and told him the changes that we wanted made. He refused. Colleen had to intervene and long story short, the attorney finally ended up making the changes but needed Colleen's assistance in coming up with the appropriate verbiage. I think he honestly didn't know what to write on his own! It was literally just one issue after another with this attorney and we were seriously starting to think we might have to postpone our wedding. Literally just shy of one week from our wedding date, Colleen was able to pull everything together for us and get it all done & executed correctly! We honestly couldn't have done it without her, and my fiancé (now husband) and I are so grateful that we found her!!! read more

Colleen McNamee is such a beautiful person inside and out. She truly cares about the wellbeing of her clients and it shows in her work. Divorce is never an easy process, it is full of pain and loss and on top of that a lot of paperwork and little details that can make the experience very overwhelming. A friend of mine recommended Colleen when she heard I was having trouble finding a lawyer that I trusted. She explained that not only would I receive a fair quote for filing and mediation sessions but I would also receive honest legal advice without feeling taken advantage of and that my ex husband and I would feel like were both being represented equally. My friend was absolutely right and Colleen even surpassed all my expectations. All the confusion and stress I was feeling about my divorce melted away when we sat in mediation. She was able to take the reigns of our divorce and help drive us through all of the legal proceedings with no bumps or dead ends and still managed to make us smile and keep things light and positive every time. It can be really tense, emotional and even a bit awkward when you are deciding who gets what and how finances are going to be split up but Colleen has an amazing way of making it all so simple and drama free. During mediation everything went smoothly and peacefully, we both individually felt heard and understood, and we had piece of mind knowing that our paperwork was being handled accurately and in a timely manner. On top of that I really appreciated that we always both had time to speak, we both filled out the same paperwork in person (so there was no need to track down and serve later) and we both left each session feeling good about our divorce and so optimistic for the future. I will be forever grateful for all the help and support I received and I would absolutely recommend Colleen and McNamee Mediations to anyone seeking legal mediation, she is one of a kind and absolutely the best at what she does. Thank you Colleen! read more

Colleen is amazing! Divorce is not exactly fun or easy, but she made it so much easier than it could've been. I'm so glad we used her services. She was kind, professional and extremely helpful. I highly recommended hiring her if you're in the unfortunate situation in which you need a mediator. She even gifted us with yummy artisan chocolates upon the signing of our final paperwork, just to make the experience a little bit nicer. I love her thoughtfulness! read more

After dreading and procrastinating the divorce process for over five years, we decided on mediation. The thought of using lawyers to fight each other and bill us countless expensive hours was not something we wanted to go through. We learned of mediation and got a referral to Colleen at McNamee Mediations. It has been a godsend! We are already finished with the process after only a few meetings. Colleen has been amazing and made us both feel comfortable from the very first meeting. She was organized, kind, prompt, helpful, knowledgeable, and just an overall easy to like person. She was fair and impartial and gave us both good advice. She is ethical and will not speak to either spouse "on the side" and at no point did either of us feel like she was bias towards the other. We both felt like she was doing what was in our best interest overall and was good about pointing out options and helping compromise. I really can't say enough good things about her. She is good about providing resources to other services (we needed a business attorney and a trust attorney) and both of her referrals have been as helpful and professional as she is. You can't go wrong with her and I recommend her without reservation. read more

Unfortunately, I recently found myself being forced to research my options to divorce my husband. I learned that I could a) hire a lawyer, (and he hire a lawyer) and we go through litigation in a very public court room setting with the risk of a bitter fight and be completely drained financially with money we really don't have, or b) find a good mediator and dissolve the marriage amicably, peacefully and as budget friendly as possible. I looked everywhere - and found a couple mediators, but none that were as responsive, capable, knowledgeable, calm and professional as Colleen. I cannot speak highly enough about her. She is on top of every single detail. She explains everything in verbiage that isn't overwhelming. She made the process as smooth as it could have been. It was incredibly challenging to keep my eye on the end goal, and Colleen was able to assist us in negotiating what we both walked away feeling fair about. I highly recommend reaching out if you are in a position where you need to dissolve your marriage. She really is the best! read more

Colleen is an invaluable resource for my family. For a lot of people, when they think of family law, they think divorce. There is actually a lot more to it than that. Colleen has been irreplaceable when it comes to assisting in dealing with issues that come up in a marriage and has been a trusted place that I can turn to for legal advice at a reasonable fee. In an ever changing legal climate, it is critical to have someone I can trust at my side to help me navigate obstacles that come my way. Colleen is extremely professional, personable, and trustworthy and I would not hesitate to refer her to my friends, family, and clients. read more

I would highly recommend Colleen McNamee of McNamee Mediations if you are needing a divorce mediator. We selected her because of her amazing Yelp reviews about 8 months ago and she surpassed our expectations. While going thru a divorce can be uncertain and unsettling, Colleen was always extremely professional, responsive and knowledgeable. She navigated us thru difficult decisions and thru a legal process that was unfamiliar to us both, having never gone thru a divorce before. She definitely made the process easier, even helping us finalize our divorce during COVID 19 circumstances. read more

Just a quick thank you to Colleen. Her professionalism and calm demeanor set me at ease. She was a great listener to both sides and set the tone for what was logically fair. I am extremely pleased that we were able to satisfy our differences over things out of court, saving us thousands that we may now implement in our new lives apart. She handled our paperwork with ease making my life less stressful so I could focus on other matters. I would highly recommend Colleen to all that are considering taking the less costly route through divorce. read more

After 30 years of marriage, deciding to divorce was not only a challenging life situation, but we had a lot of financial issues and assets to work out. Luckily we found Colleen and were able to work through all the properties, retirement funds, and other things without fighting or getting lawyers involved - this saved us a lot of emotional stress and money. Colleen stepped us through a process that was manageable and efficient. She was great about giving us options and helping us make rational choices. As others have commented, she is punctual and professional and is very fair and available to both parties. I encourage anyone to try mediation instead of going the lawyer route. There was so much to sort out and think about and a lot of documents and information to collect - far better to process through all the steps with someone like Colleen to guide you to a fair solution rather than spending our time fighting it out in court. Also, I really appreciate that Colleen helped us to provide a fair and legally binding way to make sure that our adult children get a fair share of our assets after we both pass. That way any future relationships will not threaten what we built to support our family. I think this will ensure peace of mind and a healthier friendship between us later. As our adult children mature and marry and have kids, it would be horrible to have a contentious or bitter relationship with my ex - we had a good run and some great kids, at least we will be able to move forward and rebuild our lives with a more positive mindset. Thank you, Colleen! read more

My girlfriend and I had been In a relationship for about 2 years when we accidentally got pregnant. It wasn't exactly something we were planning on at that particular time in our lives, but we were both over the age of 30 and both had established careers so we decided to keep the baby. While my girlfriend was pregnant, we hit some rough patches in our relationship. Who knows if it was due to hormones or the additional stress of the impending birth of a child. Regardless, a good friend of ours told us we needed to speak with Colleen and find out if there were any legal steps we should take since we were not married and not planning on getting married anytime soon. I am so thankful that we were told to do this! We contacted Colleen and set up an appointment with her and she explained all the pros to our filing paternity paperwork with the court even though we were still in a relationship. We literally were able to map EVERYTHING out from covering the medical cost for the birth of our child, to the preparatory cost involved with having a baby once they are born, who was going to claim him on taxes (she helped us determine who would receive the greatest tax benefit by doing so!), and we were able to say that there would be no child support at this time because we were living together and would just share all the expenses. It was really quite an informative experience and very amicable. 6 months after my son was born, my girlfriend and I broke up. I was so thankful that we already had a written agreement in place. We immediately contacted Colleen and went in to see her to do a modification so that we could add in child support, and custody & visitation since we didn't need that in our original agreement because we were living together. I truly believe that the ONLY reason this modification went smoothly is because of Colleen. She had already established trust and credibility with both myself and my ex and knew our story. We both were very comfortable with her. She is not only a consummate professional, but she is sensitive and caring towards what each person is feeling. She really is able to make difficult and emotionally challenging situation go much more smoothly than it ever would otherwise! If you are having a child and aren't married, you really need to speak with Colleen....... read more

Colleen is a wonderful attorney to work with. She went through the process with honest, sense of caring and you can trust that your process will be smooth with her. Colleen help us to find a middle position that best work for us without hours of fighting/arguing. She is very professional and I (us) felt heard and represented fairly. Thank you so much for your help! My only regret is that I not found her since the beginning. read more

Well that was something I never want to go through again!  Honestly, I didn't think I would come out on the other side. But I did and you will also with Colleen! My ex-spouse thought we could do this on our own and I thought us "lawyering-up"  was going to be the only way. Thankfully there was a middle ground and we were actually both referred to Colleen by independent sources who spoke very highly of her services and her work ethic. It was not easy, but Colleen kept it all as civil as it could possibly be in a divorce.  I would definitely recommend her services to anyone having to go through this unfortunate situation!   Thank you Colleen. read more

Colleen was great to work with and made a very difficult and emotional situation manageable. She has a very convenient and relaxing office that helped to make us feel comfortable. She also is very good at her job and explained in detail the procedure and how to get through this. The cost was very reasonable and a fraction of what it could have been taking other legal options. I would defiantly recommend her in the future and hope she can help others like she helped us. read more

I had such a wonderful experience with McNamee Mediations. My husband and I recently seperated and wanted to divorce in as civil a manner as possible and quickly. It was a very painful situation and I needed to find somebody compassionate, professional, knowledgable, experienced, and very skilled. Colleen was all of that and more. While my husband and I often disagree she was able to calm us down and help us make swift decision and she also helped make it as painless and possible. She is very knowledgable about the law and guidelines and made everything very clear to us. Furthermore she gave us advise on our taxes, insurance, etc. People have been amazed at how fast and smooth our divorce went. I would highly recommend Colleen to anybody. read more

My experience was pleasant as it can be to go through. I definitely recommend mediation over hiring lawyers if you can manage it. The process was presented in a clear and simple manner that allowed me to digest what I needed to do, the timing and was supported through the entire scope where I needed help. read more

My wife and I have been married for 11 years now. We had a premarital agreement and wanted to add some things to it. We went back to the original attorney who had drafted our premarital agreement and also consulted 3 other attorneys, all of whom quoted us a price of $20-$22,000 to do a post-marital agreement. We were referred to Colleen to see if she could help us, and help us she did! She proposed an alternative to having to completely redo our original agreement, while achieving the same end. She literally saved us thousands of dollars! Colleen really looks out for her clients best interests, and both my wife and I highly recommend her services. read more

My husband and I just completed our divorce process with McNamee Mediations. I can honestly say, Colleen makes a painful process quick and easy and as painless as possible. Do yourself a favor don't try and handle this on your own or go through two separate lawyers, she makes it work and makes it easy and quick. Taking a sad situation and making it easy is truly a gift. I highly recommend her! read more

So I started my divorce process a little over a year ago and I really thought that I would be able to do it myself (I had even done some paralegal work previously, although not in family law). It seemed like we had a pretty simple case. We have one child, owned a home together that we were planning to sell, we each have our own retirement accounts and both of us have jobs. I went to the courthouse and got the divorce packet from them. Then the headaches began. I filled out the petition and submitted it to the court and paid the filing fee. The petition was rejected because I had filled it out wrong and missed a box. I corrected the mistake and resubmitted it. I got the petition back and served my husband. My proof of service was then rejected because I didn't realize I couldn't serve him myself since he was willing to accept it and we weren't fighting. Finally got that done right, and 3 months had already passed! Then I was trying to do the next set of court documents and kept running into problems and couldn't seem to get anything filled out the way the court wanted it. I was getting so frustrated! So after 7 months of trying to do it myself and wasting a lot of time and energy, I was referred to Colleen. Trust me, when I say I should have used her from the beginning! She was sympathetic to my plight and actually went out of her way to try and use as many of the filed documents I had already done as possible to help save me and my husband time and money. She walked us through exactly what needed to be done to complete everything, got us through a few sticky points that we unexpectedly ran into and definitely would not have been able to navigate without her assistance, and had everything finished for us within 6 weeks! I really wish I had used Colleen from the get-go, but I had no idea it would be so tough for me to do myself. I feel confident in the Settlement Agreement we reached with Colleen and very reassured knowing that everything has been done accurately & correctly and will be legally binding - thank you so much Colleen!! read more

Wow first comes to mind. Colleen is amazing and settled my divorce in 60 days despite my ex refusing to show for scheduled mediations. Colleen took matters into her own hands and figured out a way to work with us to resolve the case as quickly as possible. I cannot thank her enough. My divorce is settled with amazing results and now I get to focus on my son and our future. Thank you Colleen! read more

We were referred to Colleen by multiple friends. Everyone had such great things to say about her and what she could do for us through our separation. Colleen Lived up to all her compliments. She was very fair through out our whole mediation process. She made both of us feel like we were getting what we wanted in the separation. She is amazing at mediating, it is truly a gift for her. Not only did she help us through the really stressful separation, she has helped me as a single mom find a job. I am so grateful we were referred to Colleen she made a really tough situation so much smoother. I have since referred friends to her. read more