I went to Colleen McNamee as a second option regarding a mediation that was not going smoothly with another mediator. She was great and really assisted in making me feel comfortable and confident with her process. She was able to complete the mediation in record time and very thoroughly. Going through a divorce, especially from a long term marriage, is incredibly difficult. Colleen answered all of my questions and concerns while being sensitive and understanding. I would definitely recommend her to anyone seeking mediation. read more

My experience through this tough time was manageable with the expertise and guidance from Colleen. Professional, Honest, Fair and the focus on our goals, are all the attributes Colleen delivered on - confirming we had the right mediator to help! A+ read more

I was referred to Colleen by a friend who had used her for their divorce. My ex-wife wanted to hire attorneys and litigate in court. By each of us having our own attorney, costs were estimated at $15,000 MINIMUM for each side. So that is $30,000 just to start! As I later learned from Colleen, we actually have more control and say-so in the outcome of our case by mediating vs litigating AND Colleen uses all of the same legal software as the courts for support calculations, income/asset declarations, etc. People think they will get better results by getting attorneys as they have someone in their corner looking out for them and steering the ship, but I can honestly say that both my ex-wife & I felt like Colleen equally and neutrally protected each of us while guiding us through the process. I at no time felt like Colleen was taking sides, not protecting us, not focusing on what was in the best interests of our child, or not an expert in her field. By using Colleen I literally saved THOUSANDS, we never had to face the judge, sit in court and speak publicly about our private business, or speak with a county counselor regarding how we handle our custody. The bottom line is, you will get the same or better results by going to mediation and you wont cause further damage to your relationship with your spouse. Colleen actually helped us rebuild our relationship some, for the sake of our child. This method is much more smooth and more calm than spending a load of money with litigation attorney's who nickel and dime you for every little thing and who work off of a retainer so you have no idea HOW much everything is actually going to end up costing - you just keep getting asked to replenish it. I don't know if other mediators are as skilled and gifted as Colleen, but I now recommend Colleen and her mediation practice as the only form for divorce. Thanks again Colleen for making this as painless as possible. read more

I was referred to Colleen by a friend after contacting several mediators regarding my separation. From the first phone call, Colleen was knowledgeable, empathetic and explanatory as to how the proceedings would work. Divorce is a painful and emotional experience, but thanks to Colleen, everything went smoothly and right on track. Even with the occasional disagreement, Colleen would be patient and understanding and bring us back around to what was important-settling a difficult situation with privacy and most of all, fairness. Thank you Colleen for all you did! You remained neutral, but still showed how much you cared. You followed through on everything, and you saved us thousands of dollars. I highly recommend you and your services to anyone who ever has to be in the same challenging situation. read more

Colleen recently handled the mediation process for my divorce, and I am so thankful we chose her. Her professionalism and responsiveness are second to none. With divorce being such a painful emotional process on its own, thankfully each session with Colleen is organized, productive, and clear. She is fair, but most importantly, kind. Colleen supports BOTH sides, which is exactly what you want in a mediator. The costs were exactly what we expected too, which is highly significant to note here, given the financial impact of splitting up a household. I can't imagine anyone else guiding us through this process. read more

I highly recommend Colleen's services!! I never thought a divorce could be as "peaceful" as Colleen made it. Naturally, my ex and I had disagreements along the way, but through Colleen's expertise and skills, she really set the tone so that issues were dealt with easily and efficiently (which is worth 5 stars alone). The professional tone of the meetings set the stage for success by placing both spouses on an even playing field. Divorce isn't easy, but Colleen made it as painless (and as quick) as possible. I can't imagine what the traditional divorce (litigation) route would have been like - I wanted to avoid that at all costs! If I could give McNamee Mediations more stars, I would!! read more

After a glowing recommendation from a friend, we worked with Collen McNamee who lead us through the mediation process. She's professional, very knowledgeable and has an amazing patient way to address any issues that inevitable come up. In our case we ended up doing something she hadn't done before, but she didn't flinch and expertly guided us through that issue. Even though divorce is a complicated and very emotional time of your life, Colleen found ways to help us through those difficult moments. If you are considering legal separation you absolutely must consider her services. read more

My experience with Colleen was outstanding. She was very efficient and her preparation made our sessions productive. She kept us on track and focused on our goal of being amicable and always remained absolutely neutral. I hope I don't have to but I would highly recommend her to anyone in need of mediation services. read more

Divorce is never something you want to have to deal with, but if you do find yourself there, mediation is such a better way to go than to be battling it out, paying two different attorneys, racking up a bunch of fees. And once you decide on mediation, Colleen is just perfect. I have not a single negative thing to say about her or the process. It was quick and with minimal cost. She explains everything upfront, is very transparent and communicative, manages your expectations and is well-informed and experienced in the process. Not only that, but she's also enjoyable to work with. By the end of the process, I felt like she was a friend. I've already referred her to a very good friend of mine. I think that says it all. read more

Collean is amazing! She has saved us so much time money and frustration. Honestly if you think you need to get lawyers you to handle divorce or child custody agreements you couldn't be more mistaken. I try to get anyone I know that finds themselves at the end of the line with their marriage to call Collean first, it's a bad place already why make it worse with litigation and thousands of dollars waisted. read more

A big THANK YOU goes to Colleen! My ex and I had friends that went to her and both the husband and wife referred each of us to her. I had the most difficult ex-husband and bless Colleen for helping us get through all of the difficulties! I don't know what I would've done without her. My ex fought everything over and over again, trying all of our patience. We got to a point where we couldn't talk at all and everything had to go through Colleen. She was absolutely the best! She remained very professional and understanding throughout the entire process. She calmed both of us down and came to resolutions for us at the most difficult times and tried her hardest to get everything finalized in a timely/affordable manner. Definitely put in over 100%! I can't thank her enough for all that she did. Absolutely love her. read more

Colleen is very calm and personable which is essential for mediations. She gets things done quickly and efficiently and can deal with difficult or uncomfortable situations between the parties. Even when things get heated or seem insurmountable, she manages to get things moving along and keeps the peace. I highly recommend her and would use her again if the need arose. read more

I was referred to Colleen by a client and it was the best referred ever! Not only is she super professional and knows what she's doing she's super personable and cares about her clients. She made my legal experience so painless. I would give 6 stars if I could !! read more

I was referred to Colleen by a trusted friend and Colleen was everything she said. She was very responsive, understanding and concerned. She provided guidance and advice on steps to try before pursuing mediation or legal actions. She understood the dynamics of my situation and helped me weigh my options and also better understand the legal process. She provides the support and knowledge you need when going through these issue in you life. I would highly recommend her to any friend. read more

McNamee Mediations got us through this heart wrenching process with great care and compassion. Colleen is an absolutely gifted and genuine individual in her field. In our circumstances, I never thought we would fully make it through the mediation process, but she did it professionally and peacefully. With the legal mediation completed, we can now heal. Thank you Colleen! read more

Colleen is probably one of the most responsive professionals that I have ever worked with. More importantly she kept my wife and I on task to make the process as quick, efficient, and cost effective as it could have been. She knows her business and adds a lot of value to the process. Stays absolutely neutral and helpful in resolving contentious issues. I recommend her without reservation. read more

Just finished up with Colleen and everything went as good as it could have. Colleen showed patience (which was truly needed with other party) but kept the ball moving towards the goal. Answered all questions by both parties in fair terms understandable by all---and would go over many times till understood. Very professional, business minded, and could also show empathy towards both. Colleen is a mediator and I would take her advice and have your agreement looked over by another lawyer for a second opinion just to keep ease of mind---in her agreement she says you're able to do that along with a CPA and other support professionals. That said, Colleen would offer opinions that were fair minded to both but the decisions are up to the individuals. If you're thinking that you are at the point of divorce you will not regret going to Colleen---talk to your partner and if you can sit together in the meeting room and work issues out you'll find that there is none better than Colleen. Interviewed others but Colleen was far and above the most professional. read more

Colleen made the process so easy to understand and was so organized it made the entire process a lot less stressful. I would recommend her to anyone looking for mediation, she is extremely professional, responsive, and easy to work with. read more

Oh my goodness! Colleen McNamee is an absolute Godsend! She was so professional, organized and sincere and made my divorce go smoothly and quick. She explained everything and was thorough in her delivery. I actually looked forward to our mediation meetings. I would recommend her to my best of friends! Thank you, Colleen, for all your hard work and support! read more

Colleen was absolutely amazing! Like everyone said, not all mediators are alike. My ex and I started with another mediator and quickly realized that the first mediator was not going to work for us. Instead of giving us advice and ideas for different things, he just wanted us to talk and come up with ideas ourselves. When we went to Colleen, it was a totally different process! There was one part to custody that my ex could not agree on. Colleen took the time with us, explained what a judge would likely do in our case, and helped work with us to find a mutually agreeable solution. In the entire process, Colleen was thorough, organized, responded rapidly to emails, professional, impartial, kind, and just made the process go more smoothly than I thought I could. I honestly don't know if we could have worked through this without her! I highly recommend to Colleen to anyone going through a divorce. She helped us avoid costly lawyer fees to litigate a divorce! read more

Divorce, what can you say, it's like a natural disaster.......you don't expect it to happen but when it does you need the proper plan to mitigate and minimize the damage and a path to a new normal. That being said, I thoroughly researched McNamee Mediations and Colleen was a pleasure to work with. I appreciated her honest, easy and clearly defined way of handling difficult situations. She represents both parties and tries to make things as equitable as possible. Divorce is unique to each parties involved but not unique unto itself. As for mine we were able to effectively complete the process in 6 weeks, which is highly unique. And her costs saved me tens of thousands over the typical divorce attorneys. I can not say enough about her professionalism and her ability to help each party involved. Thanks Colleen! read more

I found Colleen thanks to Yelp. She had a lot of positive reviews and from our first conversation with her, I felt very comfortable. My divorce was one of the worst times in my life and she was understanding and patient. She made an unpleasant situation as comfortable as humanly possible. I would highly recommend Colleen. read more

My Ex and I had a lot of fear going into this process. Colleen's no nonsense approach alleviated those fears. She navigated us through some bumpy negotiations and both of us are very comfortable with the outcome. We saved a ton of $ and grief by using a mediator instead of billing machine lawyers. Colleen made a stressful process much easier than either of us expected. read more

We used McNamee Mediations for a successful disillusionment of our 21 yr marriage. While it was difficult to end the marriage Colleen made the process as straight forward as possible. She was able to negotiate a few sticking points to arrive at a win-win solutions, I would highly recommend this process and Collen's services if you are in need. read more

Not having gone through this experience in the past, my wife and I were somewhat apprehensive, not knowing what to expect. We, of course, read the positive reviews, but doubt still lingered. What my wife and I did know was that we did not want to engage in lengthy, hostile legal proceedings that could give rise to animosity and, possibly, negatively impact the lives of those we love, in particular our four children. Just because we decided to get a divorce, it did not mean that we stopped caring or wishing each other well. We wanted to separate fairly and needed someone to guide us through this delicate process. Colleen proved to be such a person. She was objective, balanced, very well organized and most certainly competent. She is thorough, follows up on all of her commitments and respects deadlines. Not less importantly, Colleen was always very pleasant and provided as much guidance as either of us needed. For couples wishing to pursue a more civil and amicable route to their divorce, I would recommend Colleen's services most highly. OB read more

Over the years I have heard many horrific stories of divorce and the legal system process for divorce. When I was faced with this decision for myself, I chose to try mediation first. I wanted to preserve our financial situation as much as possible and not let our estate be ruined by the high cost of litigation. If you have come to the difficult decision that a divorce is imminent, I would highly suggest contacting Colleen McNamee of McNamee Mediations. What could have been a long, expensive and confrontational experience became much more reasonable, expedient and amicable. Colleen was extremely professional, courteous and knowledgeable about our needs. Within a couple of months were able to conclude our paperwork for the courts. Colleen was also very helpful in offering outside resource referrals for any other services which may have been necessary. I am very pleased with all of the services that I received and I am happy to have been able to remain on friendly terms so that the rest of our family and friends did not have to be involved or feel that there was a necessity to pick sides. Even though this was still a difficult process, using mediation was definitely the way to go. Thank you Colleen! read more

Given the situation this is the best outcome I could have wanted. Colleen was very understanding and took time to explain things that were needed. In the other end she also did not drag things out if they didn't need to be, we wanted this process to be a quick and smooth as possible and were able to achieve a mutual respectful resolution with her assistance. read more

Going thru a divorce can be one of the worst experiences in life, especially when it is something you never envisioned. My husband and I were married for 5 years, together for 11 years, when we decided to divorce. Going thru the emotions alone of the divorce was bad enough and then the thought of having to deal with all the aspects of the financial, property, etc that we would need to settle was beyond stressful in itself. For the most part we knew what we wanted to settle on, but clearly trying to do on our own wasn't going to work. One thing was for sure, we wanted to avoid getting lawyers at all cost. I was recommended to meet with Colleen with McNamee Mediations by friends who knew what I was going thru and said that she would be a perfect fit for what we needed. And I can honestly say that it was best decision I made going thru the divorce process! My husband and I had a lot to settle, and even though we thought we were on the same page, while we were in our sessions, we clearly figured out we were not. We owned our business and didn't know the proper way to take me off the business so I wouldn't be liable for it. Colleen knew exactly what we needed to do and even provided recommendations of people we could contact for help. I swear she has recommendations for everything and every person absolutely checked out! Colleen took the time to walk us thru everything and would take each of our points and work with the other person to explain where one was coming from. She was compassionate and caring, there were many times I cried and she would sit and listen and at the end of the session would offer comforting hug. She did this for both myself and my husband. She knows this is one of the toughest times to go thru, and she made it is painless as she possible could. Colleen was very professional and respectful. She never took either side but helped give suggestions. Anytime I had a questions and left a message at the office it was always returned the same day which I was extremely appreciative of. She made herself accessible. When I ran into some moments when I couldn't talk to my husband because I was afraid of what he would say, she offered to talk to him explain how I was feeling, as I believe a true mediator should, and Colleen was definitely that. Even after all our final paperwork was signed off, and divorce date had passed with nothing from the Courts, Colleen was still there to keep us in the loop with where we were with the Courts. She knew how much I just wanted our divorce to be final, and on the day it was, sent me a text as soon as she got the paperwork! Soo appreciative of that! I would 100% recommend McNamee Mediations to anyone who is looking to settle their divorce without going thru lawyers, which I would highly recommend doing in the first place! Going thru Mediation will save on time and is financially less then dealing with lawyers, not to mention when you go with McNamee Mediations you know you cared for and will receive the best service and respect that you deserve! read more

I had my reservations in hiring a female mediator, but did agree to go with Colleen. It ended up being a great decision. This is my first and hopefully the last divorce. Colleen is an exceptional mediator. She has helped me get through a difficult time. She is fair and balanced in representing both parties in an amicable way. She structured a fair agreement for my ex wife and myself. I originally hired a law firm, which did not yield me ANY concessions through a 5 month span. I would highly recommend Colleen. It ended up being a swift resolution to my divorce, saving me a lot of money and ended up being more than fair agreement. I would be happy to share my experience with those who are trying to make a decision how to proceed in your divorce. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions. My email is jvalentine94123@yahoo.com. Best of luck with your divorce- Jeff read more

Colleen is one of a kind! She has helped my husband and I with multiple legal issues. She is always fair, generous, kind and we couldn't say thank you enough for the amount of money she has saved us in different costs and fees. Her knowledge and expertise is unlike anyone else. She always responds immediately, and her office is conveniently located off the 405 in Irvine, easy for anyone to access! You want the best, call McNamee Mediations, you won't regret it! read more

Divorce is never easy-it is financially, emotionally and psychologically taxing. Colleen helped to make sense of this very long complicated process. She was there through every step, explaining and offering creative solutions for both of us. She was so kind, professional and efficient, making both myself and my ex feel informed and confident in our decisions. She is definitely part mediator, part psychologist and part Jedi Master to navigate through such difficult waters daily. Thank you so much for all your hard work Colleen!!! read more

Colleen was so great to work with for our divorce mediation. She is professional, highly knowledgeable and very experienced. She responded very timely to every call and email. I felt confident that we had a fair mediation process with her. What I really appreciated the most was Colleen's compassion throughout the whole process. It is obvious that she truly does care for her clients and has the best interest of both parties in mind. I never felt like she was trying to manipulate or pressure either one of us into agreeing to something we weren't comfortable with. She was kind, patient, considerate, fair and supportive - definitely not the words I would usually think of for a divorce mediator. Obviously, no one ever wants to get divorced. But, if you have to go through the process, it definitely helps to have someone like Colleen who is so professional and kind to make the process a lot less painful. It also definitely seems like mediation is the much quicker and more affordable option for divorce. read more

Finding out my husband wanted a divorce was the most devastating thing that has ever happened in my life. After 26 years of marriage there was no way I wanted to go through the extra expense or drama that many of my friends have experienced when the each hired attorneys. Deciding to go through mediation was the best choice for us and I feel so fortunate for finding Colleen. What an amazing woman to work with. I won't deny that this is not a fun journey. Colleen definitely knows what we are going through and does everything she can to make the process as easy and painless as possible. She is a kind and caring person and has both of your best interests at heart. The process went quickly and was much more affordable than hiring attorneys to battle it out in court. I can't say enough about how great Colleen was to work with and I can tell you that if you are in the unfortunate situation of getting divorced you would be lucky to work with her. FIVE STARS!!! read more

My wife and I started our divorce process 5 years ago. At the time, neither of us were aware that mediation was an option. We had never heard of it being used in the family law arena. So we each hired our own attorneys and the process began. Within the first 6 months I could see that I had not picked an attorney who was zealously going to represent me and clearly had too large of a caseload. It would literally take him a week to a week and a half to return any of my calls or emails! I let him go and hired another attorney. My wife's attorney then had a family emergency and had to turn our case over to one of her colleagues. It took another 6 months for our two new attorneys to catch up with each other. At this point a whole year had passed and nothing had been done besides the filing of our petition and response. Fast forward to year 3......my wife and I had each gone through 2 attorneys, I had spent $120,000 in attorneys fees and my wife had spent $95,000 in attorneys fees and we literally still weren't even halfway through the process!! Both of us were extremely frustrated and felt like we were just wasting a ton of time and money for absolutely nothing. I was complaining about this to my buddy one night, and he said you have to call the divorce mediator that my wife and I used, Colleen from McNamee Mediations, she is amazing and will get this wrapped up for you guys, guaranteed I called Colleen the next day. I spent a fair bit of time on the phone with her bringing her up to date on our case and finding out if she could even take it over and get things finished for us. I relayed everything back to my wife, and three days later we had our first appointment with Colleen. My wife and I both agree that working with Colleen was a completely different experience than we had had with any of the 4 attorneys we had previously worked with. Right from the start you could tell that she genuinely cares about her clients and really wants to help them through this difficult time. At each appointment we had, we always accomplished exactly what she told us we needed to get done, then she would let us know what to expect at the next appointment. It was like having a road map to follow instead of feeling like everything was constantly in a state of chaos. We had a relatively complex case with 32 years of marriage, three minor children, a business, multiple properties, retirement and pension accounts, and a large inheritance. In the three years we spent with our previous attorneys, we hadn't reached resolution on ANY of these issues. Colleen created an issue list for us to make sure that we covered every single thing we wanted to for our settlement agreement. Then she put them in the order she wanted us to use in going through and mediating them and we began. Literally within 5 months we had resolved all of the issues and knew exactly how we were going to be dividing and moving things. She made it amazingly simple and straightforward compared to what we had been exposed to with our litigation attorneys. We feel very fortunate to have found Colleen and are grateful that she was able to step in and take over our case, finalizing everything in a matter of months compared to what probably would have been several more years of litigation! Jack read more

Colleen is a very level-headed and fair mediator. We did not want a long, painful process. She was efficient and quick and made the process relatively painless. She is detail-oriented and represents her clients fairly. I would recommend her services. read more

The decision to divorce is never easy. My spouse and I did not want to each spend tens of thousands of dollars on separate attorneys so we mutually agreed upon mediation. I researched several firms and after a brief phone interview with Colleen McNamee, I felt I had found the right person! The initial meeting was emotional, as is expected, but Colleen put us at ease as she walked us through the entire process one step at a time. Colleen navigated us through some complex financial issues, separate property reimbursements, the sale of our home, etc. Colleen was always available via phone or email whenever we had questions, she was emotionally supportive when we encountered obstacles, and she guided us to fair compromises we both could live with. Colleen was able to combine the dissolution of both our Domestic Partnership and our marriage, which saved us A LOT of extra time, money, and emotional angst. I would highly recommend mediation as a cost-effective approach to divorce, and more specifically, McNamee Mediations as a firm that is top-notch! read more

Going through mediation rather than hiring 2 separate attorneys was the single most important decision we made to facilitate our divorce. It changed everything including the overall tone of how we went about handling this very difficult event. Mediation makes it so you are working together to figure out solutions (through a mediator of course) that will impact you now and well into the future, instead of having attorneys pit you against one another and charge you exorbitant fees. Therefore, having the best mediator was SO important. I can't express how helpful and amazing Colleen was as our mediator. She is smart, compassionate, and fair. She communicates very well. She was formerly a litigation attorney but then decided to use her gifts as an attorney mediator which is really a blessing for anyone who chooses to use her services because she is uniquely talented. Now our divorce is finished and it only took us 3 meetings over a period of about 3 months!! Although it is a painful process, I'm truly grateful to Colleen for expertly guiding us through this difficult time so that we can both move on with our lives. Thank you!! read more

I rarely write any review about anything especially about something as difficult as getting a divorce. I was reluctant and hesitated but after reading through several reviews on Colleen I can for sure testify that Colleen made this process an easy for me. I was impressed by her details, punctual, organization, extremely high legal knowledge, fairness and a friendly atmosphere for me to go through. I am deeply grateful for Colleen making this difficult process an easy one. Colleen is a true professional in her craft and I would like to extend my gratitude. Thank you Colleen for your help and great services!! read more

Cannot express in a Yelp review how fantastic working with Colleen was in mediating a very emotional situation! Colleen was beyond professional & extremely knowledgeable in helping us work through every detail of our settlement. Her experience made the process very efficient & kept my stress level to a minimum. I would highly recommend making time with Colleen before seeking an attorney! Colleen truly made a huge, positive impact on my final settlement. read more

I hardly write any reviews on yelp for anyone, but I feel that I need to share my positive experience with everyone who is in need of solid legal advice or help. I found McNamee Mediations by accident when I was searching for an attorney. Prior to utilizing Colleen's knowledge and experience, I had dealt with some very dishonest money hungry attorneys. I had completely lost hope in getting solid legal advice regarding my failed marriage until I met Colleen. She approached my crisis in a very positive, calm, non-judgmental manner and provided me with concrete/measurable legal advice. Colleens was very proactive and resourceful towards my case and made me feel very comfortable in speaking to her regarding my concerns and fears. I also found Colleen to be a very kind, generous and a compassionate person. She was very good at returning all my calls within the same day or even communicating with me through emails on weekends. It's hard to find such great service these days and I am completely grateful to have met Colleen. She has helped me through this difficult time and I highly recommend her services to anyone who is looking for a genuine legal advice/services. read more