Carmen deeply believes in the importance of providing highly personalized and compassionate mediation services for divorce and family law cases and for commercial cases. Carmen uses her extensive mediation experience and training to help you bridge your differences and reach an agreement, without being subjected to a court proceeding beyond your control.
In the family law realm, divorce is tremendously unsettling. It is an emotional and difficult process, but it does not have to be adversarial. She guides you through the divorce process, as well as any custody or visitation questions, at your pace, keeping in mind that this can be an overwhelming process, but with the knowledge that both your concerns and matters that you may not have even considered will be addressed.
For commercial cases, Carmen relies on her years practicing commercial law in the areas of corporate securities, real estate, and trust and estates. Commercial disputes can be complicated and at times emotional, but by their very nature mediation offers a way to address them in a way that provides each party an opportunity to offer and consider reasonable and creative compromises.
Carmen also speaks Spanish fluently and firmly believes that all parties should be able to represent themselves in the language in which they feel most comfortable.
Carmen graduated from Brown University and Columbia Law School. After practicing law, Carmen made the decision to pursue a more compassionate and caring practice where she could apply her legal skills to everyone’s benefit.
Carmen serves as a Special Master on the Appellate Division Supreme Court of the State of New York Second Judicial Department, She is also serves as a Mediator, United States District Court Southern District of New York Mediation Program. In addition, Carmen is on the Supreme Court matrimonial rosters in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Richmond counties. She also serves on the accelerated family court panel in New York City. Carmen is also on the Surrogate’s Court rosters for the Bronx and Westchester.
Guest Lecturer, Panelist and Presentations
Mediation in Child Protection Cases, New York City Family Court
Child Protections Specialty Meeting Presenter
Accelerated Mediation Program in Family Court Presentation to Family Court Judges
New York State Judicial Institute Judicial Seminar Panelist presented on ADR in Family Court NYC other panelists including Judge Sherman, Judge McFarland, and others
New York State Bar Association Fall Meeting Panelist, Best Mediation Practices, Timing of Mediation: Conduct it Sooner or Later?
Top Ten Tips for Trouncing Impasses Presented at Family and Divorce Mediation Council
Divorce 101 Guest Lecturer, Albany Law School
Association of Conflict Resolution of Greater New York Guest Facilitator on Commercial and Employment Mediation
Coaching
Main Street Legal Services Mediation Clinic for CUNY Law School
Mediation Training for Legal Services Professionals, training in Center for Understanding in Conflict model taught by Antoinette Delruelle, aiding students with coaching and debriefing
Basic Mediation Training co-sponsored by NYC Bar Association and Community Mediation Services taught by Rebecca Price and JoAn Pangilinan-Taylor
Basic Mediation Training sponsored by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Advanced Commercial Mediation Training co-sponsored by New York State Bar Association taught by Simeon Baum and Steve Hochman
Carmen understands that you are in the best position to understand your needs. She is there to facilitate the conversation to help you reach an amicable agreement. No one is better qualified than you to make those decisions.
This philosophy is the same in commercial, family law, and divorce cases. Mediation affords the parties the opportunity to speak and be heard in a confidential setting. With or without counsel, mediation gives each party a more informal but focused platform to voice their grievances, without losing sight of the opportunity to achieve workable and lasting solutions to disputes.
On family law and divorce cases, Carmen has worked with married and unmarried couples, with and without children, and with parties with different sexual orientations and identities.
Carmen graduated from Brown University and Columbia Law School. After practicing law, Carmen made the decision to pursue a more compassionate and caring practice where she could apply her legal skills to everyone’s benefit.
Rodriguez Law and Mediation Sliding Scale Rates
Divorce or separation is emotional, complex, and can be very expensive. Carmen believes that everyone is entitled to experienced legal and mediation services.
The fee structure is based on the couple’s combined gross income as reported in their tax returns.
Before proceeding with any work, we agree upon an hourly rate. There will always be complete transparency with respect to costs.
Depending on the assets, such as a home, condo, coop, pensions, retirement plans, cars, and business interests, there could be between 5 and 8 mediation sessions. The fewer the assets, the less complex the case typically is, and thus the faster it is to address these issues. Each mediation session is generally scheduled for 2 hours, but, on occasion, they could be shorter.
