Garske Divorce Mediation - Littleton, Colorado

Colorado House Finders

Leslie has been an invaluable partner in assisting numerous clients with their financial planning needs, ensuring they receive tailored and thoughtful guidance. Her expertise spans across various financial scenarios, and clients frequently commend her for her deep knowledge and personalized approach. Whether it’s navigating complex financial landscapes or offering sound advice on investments, Leslie’s commitment to her clients is unmatched. Her ability to simplify intricate financial concepts and provide clear, actionable steps has made her a trusted advisor for many.

In addition to financial planning, Leslie and I have worked together on several divorce and separation cases, where her role has been crucial in helping clients reach fair and equitable settlements. Her attention to detail and thorough understanding of divorce buyouts and final agreements have provided immense relief to clients during such challenging times. Leslie approaches each case with empathy and a genuine desire to see her clients succeed, ensuring that they feel supported throughout the process. Her dedication to her clients’ well-being is evident in every interaction, making her an indispensable resource for those navigating difficult financial and personal transitions.

Kevin Faulkner

When searching for a remediation coach for our divorce, it was important to work with a certified professional in our area. A quick search revealed most were aligned with local bank branches. (We didn't want to work through the details of our amicable divorce with a banker.) Leslie and her staff were professional and efficient from the outset. We easily saved $10K by going through remediation with Leslie than by hiring separate attorneys. She helped us arrive at agreeable, sustainable ongoing financial terms. At the end of the remediation process, Leslie provided us with all of the necessary documentation to file with the county court. The court's initial review of the documents proved them to be complete and in order so that no unnecessary delays were introduced. Following our divorce, Leslie and her team were also helpful in helping me understand and manage my new tax position and helped with a plan to address it. I could not be more pleased with her help. It has always been exactly what I needed!

Lauren Davitt

Updated - September 2024: Leslie walked us through the changes made to ensure that the issues we experienced wouldn't happen again. Her thoughtfulness and dedication to making sure our concerns were addressed is really appreciated. Knowing what we know now, we'd definitely use her team's services if needed.

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I waited to write this review until after our divorce paperwork was final. In the end, we did get divorced with no paperwork issues, but did not have a great experience.

We had a good first meeting with Leslie, who noted that because our case was so straightforward, it would be very quick and while we'd pay a retainer, we'd "very likely get money back." If we had stayed with Leslie, things might have been better, but we were handed off to Jessica. She gave us information that was contradictory to what Leslie told us, and when we asked for clarification, she said that Leslie didn't know what she was talking about. It was an uncomfortable situation for us.

We spent a good chunk of one meeting talking about how to split care and costs of our dog. When we got our final paperwork, there was nothing about the dog in there. When we asked, the response was "oh, i didn't know you wanted that in there." This was one of multiple times when the mediator or their team forgot things we talked about, or added incorrect information to documents. Again, our case was exceptionally straightforward so it was strange that there were so many mistakes.

Then, at the end, despite using less than the average number of meeting hours, we got a bill for extra money which was confusing and again, contradictory to what we had been led to believe throughout the process. Ultimately the paperwork worked, but it added more stress to an already stressful situation.

Carl Hohman

I typically don't write reviews but felt compelled to do so given the positive experience I had with Garske Mediation despite it being the most difficult time in my life going through a divorce. Leslie is a kind and compassionate sole that truly cares about each and every one of her clients. The education and support she provided during this difficult time was paramount in helping us navigate through the murky waters of a divorce and a financial separation while saving us time and money through the process. Thank you for everything you did for us Leslie. Bless you.

Aaron Davitt

Update as of September 2024-
Changing my review to 4 stars. Leslie Garske met with me and I discussed the issues we experienced by our mediator last year (see original review below). She listened, was considerate, and apologized. As a result, she provided a partial reimbursement for the overcharge that occurred. In all, while it took time to remedy the situation, I appreciated the follow up and solutions she provided.
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I am writing this review for mediation services that were performed in September 2023. The divorce paperwork went through and there were no issues with filing the paperwork. Hiring a mediator is cheaper than each person hiring their own lawyer. However, my ex-wife and I did find the mediation process challenging and we feel we did not get the service that was promised. Hence the two stars.

We had an initial meeting with Leslie to assess the amount of work it would take for my ex-wife and I to get divorced. We were told that we were not a complicated situation since we had no kids. A quick process, we were told, and would likely get money back from our retainer fee. Typical divorces that need a mediation process require a higher retainer, but we were told for our situation it would be less than the typical retainer fee. My ex-wife and I made note of this in our notes, happy that this process would not be expensive, and paid the retainer fee.

Our case was taken over by Jessica, the mediator. Initially things went well but things took a turn once we started the process. Our first meeting with Jessica discussed our assets that my ex-wife and I had. We clearly defined what belongs to who. When we received a summary email later on, our mediator flipped our assets. A mistake on their part which we would have to pay for later, literally. That was the first red flag.

When we were finalizing the paperwork, we had to repeat and remind the mediator what we discussed previously to make sure it was entered into the paperwork because the mediator did not add it for some reason. Also, as we read the final paperwork as a group, I had to point out a few times that the way the mediator drafted the language was vague. When I pointed it out, she said, "good point". Another red flag.

In all, we spent ~2 hours in meetings. We were told it can typically take 8 hours of meetings. My ex-wife and I felt great that we finished everything quickly. At the final paperwork meeting, they said they would wrap up everything and email us the final paperwork to file to the courts. Within 15 minutes of leaving, we received an email saying the paperwork was done but, before they could send it to us, we had to pay another $1k to get the final paperwork. They claimed this amount was to cover other work that was performed. Since we wanted this process to be done, we paid the extra fee. We asked for clarification but received a vague itemized bill.

Things to remember when going through this process:
- If you make a mistake, you have to pay the lawyer to fix it. Makes sense to me. If the lawyer makes a mistake, you have to pay for it. That does not make sense to me.
- The divorce process, from filing to the judge signing, takes a MINIMUM of 91 days, not 91 days exactly as we were told. We received conflicting information about this. We were lucky that everything worked out in 91 days but be aware it can take longer. So, plan your life accordingly.

Did everything work out at the end of the day? Yes. The paperwork went through the courts. But the issues with us catching and fixing the mediator's mistake, being billed an extra $1k and feeling like our paperwork was being used to hold us hostage, so we would pay the extra fee, left a bad impression on us. Getting divorced is expensive but a mediation process does not have to make it more expensive. I realized that divorce laws are written to keep lawyers employed and not for individuals to figure out themselves.

Sara Bastani

Leslie and her team are very good at what they do. Divorce is complicated, difficult, emotional and so many other things and Leslie is so good at being compassionate and professional while navigating all of it. I myself am an attorney and felt that her areas of expertise were so relevant and useful. Both parties had our own attorneys on retainer for legal questions and it ended up being a great team format. I also found so much value in her dual role in the financial services industry as she was able to help us understand the consequences of different financial decisions and come up with some creative options in cases where we didn't fit the regular divorce mode. I have no regrets about our decision to work with Garske Mediation and would recommend highly.

Randy James

I would highly recommend Garske Mediation ! We knew nothing, had the free 20 minute call with Wendy. She was so friendly and professional and informative, we made an appointment with Leslie. Leslie went over the whole process and was very fair to both of us. All our meetings went smoothly with no stress. When I took the paperwork to the courthouse, ALL our paperwork prepared by Leslie and her team was PERFECT. Kelly was a hugh help with getting the home transferred. Thanks to all of them.

Joelle Dunaetz

Leslie was very helpful in clarifying and laying out various ways to equitably separate our finances and gracefully end our marriage. She is not only knowledgeable in divorce matters and finances related, she is also compassionate and listened well to our concerns and considerations. She made a process that seemed overwhelming and a challenge smoother, patiently working with us to find an amiable solution. We were quite satisfied with our choice to work with Leslie, and happy to have had her support going through the divorce process.