Co-Family Mediation | Chrissie White

CO-FAMILY MEDIATION

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(630) 423-6377

CO-FAMILY MEDIATION

By CHRISTINA WHITE, ATTORNEY AT LAW

A Distinctive Pathway for Mediating

Illinois Divorce and Parentage Matters

Pay-as-you-go virtual mediation for divorcing and/or separating

co-parents in Kane, DuPage, Kendall, DeKalb, Will and Cook Counties.

About the Mediator

WHAT IS CO-FAMILY MEDIATION?

Co-Family Mediation is a completely virtual, economically feasible, client-led alternative to traditional litigation in divorce and parentage matters in Illinois, created by Family Law Attorney and Certified Mediator, Christina ("Chrissie") White.

Here, we offer a structured series of mediation sessions, tailored to the unique needs of modern co-parents and their children, that streamlines the path to divorce and/or separation.

At Co-Family Mediation, we know family law conflict, and we know resolution. Finding common ground with your co-parent means your time and resources are better spent raising and making memories with your children, not fighting over them.

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A Custom Approach to Your Family Law Matter

Our mediation sessions take place from the comfort and privacy of your own home via Zoom. Pay for one session at a time, schedule your session, and attend from your desktop or laptop computer. Within each session, you'll have the chance to speak to the mediator independently prior to speaking with your co-parent.

You and your co-parent choose how many sessions you attend, where to begin, and the frequency of your sessions. Alternatively, we can design a pathway addressing all issues relevant to your unique circumstances, one issue at a time, within the timeframe you prefer.

Divorce

Parenting Time

Parentage

Child Support

Temporary Relief

Maintenance

Decision-Making

Allocation of Assets

and Liabilities

Chrissie White

Skillful Attorney & Mediator

Upon graduating from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, concentrating in Public and Professional Writing, Attorney and Mediator, Christina ("Chrissie") White earned her Juris Doctorate degree and Certificate in Child and Family Law from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois.

At DePaul, she served as a judicial extern for both a domestic relations judge in Cook County, Illinois, and a civil division judge in Los Angeles County, California. While in law school, Chrissie participated in mock trial and client counseling competitions, volunteered for the Family Law Clinic and the Domestic Violence Pilot Project, worked as a law clerk for family law attorneys, and served as the recruitment chair for Phi Alpha Delta, a fraternal and philanthropic organization.

With extensive volunteer experience representing women and men in family law matters, Chrissie opened her own law office in May of 2017, as a participant in the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Justice Entrepreneur’s Project, one of the country’s leading incubators for solo and small firm attorneys. As a solo attorney, Chrissie gained significant litigation experience in the courts in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. While building her business and taking on pro bono cases through Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, she represented over one hundred clients in matters pertaining to divorce, parentage, guardianships of minors, adoption, estate planning, landlord-tenant disputes, and civil litigation.

In 2020, Chrissie joined a general practice law firm in Schaumburg, Illinois, as part of the Family Law practice group. Shortly thereafter, she relocated to Batavia, Illinois where she now lives with her two young sons. After relocating, she became a certified mediator for family law matters through Northwestern University's Professional Development Divorce Mediation Training.

With a reputation for compassionate legal counsel and zealous advocacy in court, Chrissie moved to Shaw Sanders P.C. in St. Charles, Illinois, where she gained significant and varied experience in the heat of her clients' family law battles. Often she found herself desirous of a more peaceful path forward for her clients and their children, one that was not found in courtroom hearings or across the table from her in depositions with ruthless and combative adversaries. After consistently advocating and negotiating on behalf her clients throughout their divorce and parentage matters, Chrissie realized her proudest moments were those in which thorough, impartial, mindful, and effective collaboration between parties yielded better outcomes for the children involved.

After two years as a divorced mom herself, looking back on the process of negotiating the terms of her own settlement, she sees power in communication and fair negotiations. Most of all, she knows she operated with her children's best interests in mind as she and her ex-husband, also an attorney, represented themselves in the divorce, saving time and money, which is always better spent on the kids. She's happy to share that her experience of co-parenting, while certainly not perfect, has been mostly positive, collaborative, and respectful. Most of all, her kids are happy, healthy, and loved by both parents infinitely.

Chrissie is a Co-Chair of the New Lawyers Committee of the Kane County Bar Association, a member and former conference volunteer for the National Association of Women Judges, and an active member of Kiwanis International of St. Charles.

And now that you don t have to be perfect you can be good John Steinbeck

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Divorce documents you and your co-parent can actually follow...

There are only so many ways to divide a weekly and yearly calendar, and Courts today are unlikely to grant exclusive rights regarding parenting time or decision making, absent of extraordinary circumstances. However, a one-size-fits-all approach can leave co-parents with unanswered questions and overlooked details.

The unique features of your parenting plan and/or divorce judgment come from the cooperation of both sides working to reach consensus about what’s best.

No one knows your children or circumstances as well as you do, and once you’re adequately informed of your options, no one is better equipped to decide what you should do.

Upon completion of mediation, you'll leave with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining all the terms you and your co-parent have agreed upon. You will not receive drafts of any legal documents meant to be filed in court. Your MOU serves as an outline of the agreements, the remaining issues, and the outcome of mediation.

You are advised by the Mediator in your Initial Orientation to obtain independent legal counsel at any time, either before, during, or after the course of mediation to ensure you receive sufficient information on the relevant laws governing your circumstances. Should you and your co-parent wish to incorporate the terms of your MOU into your final divorce/parentage documents, said terms should be written by the two of you or an attorney representing one of you, in the acceptable format for the Court prior to filing. Do NOT file the MOU as a divorce or parentage pleading or proposed order.

The MOU does not take the place of any required document for any Court in Illinois. Rather, it sets forth the framework to complete the process, with or without either side obtaining individual legal counsel.

Parenting plan and/or Allocation Judgment

Parentage and Dissolution of Marriage

Allocation of Parenting Time
Allocation of Decision-Making Responsibilities
Holiday Parenting Time
Vacation Parenting Time
Relocation
Right of First Refusal
Restrictions on Certain Behaviors
Communication
Transportation
New Significant Others
Special Needs or Other Considerations

MARITAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT (“MSA”)

Dissolution of Marriage

Division of Marital Property
Terms for Marital Real Estate
Division of Investment and Retirement Accounts
Financial Terms Moving Forward
Child Support
Child-Related Expenses
Health Insurance for Children
Spousal Maintenance
Life Insurance
Tax Filing Statuses and Dependent Exemption Claims

There are far far better things ahead than any we leave behind C S Lewis

The choices are yours.

The allocation of parenting time with your children is worth a thorough and honest discussion.

Co-Family Mediation allows the conversation to take place within a FAIR framework. It's a place where you and your co-parent can stay productive in communication because the Mediator keeps it Forward-focused, Affordable, Integrative, and Respectful.

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It's never too late to seek more common ground.

If you have already finalized a divorce and/or parenting plan/allocation judgment, Co-Family Mediation can help you reach an agreement on any updates or modifications that may have since become necessary.

Whether you start at the first step or simply need guidance in the right direction along the way, you'll learn valuable skills for dealing with the day-to-day issues that arise as you and your co-parent work together to raise your children from separate households.

Children are at the heart of what we do.

We understand. We've been there. We know you're worried about what's next for your kids. That's why we're here.

Litigation turns exes into adversaries. Adversaries focus on winning at all costs...and that costs more than thousands of dollars. It costs time, headache, and heartache.

Mediation turns separating parents into business partners. Co-Parenting is the business of raising children in different households. When your children succeed, you succeed.

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