Mark Baer | Pasadena Divorce & Family Law Lawyer

When you are dealing with a divorce or other family law matter, it is essential that you work with a competent and caring family law attorney and/or mediator. Family law is extremely complex because it involves interplay between the law, emotions, family dynamics, finances, and taxes, among other things. Successfully resolving these disputes requires skills beyond those traditionally taught in law schools. The emotional and financial cost of addressing family law matters is impacted significantly by the level of conflict in the relationship, and the skills of professionals involved; they can either work together to increase or decrease the level of difficulty in the divorce process. Mark B. Baer has been helping people throughout the greater Los Angeles area with all types of family law issues since 1991. He takes the time to understand his clients' needs, interests, values and goals, and to make sure that any agreements reached, accomplish his clients' desired results. He asks the necessary questions and listens closely to your answers to be sure he has a firm grasp of your goals and expectations.

Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire

Please describe a case(s) in the last year or two where you made a big difference.
My work is all done out-of-court and the litigation process in general, either as a mediator, consulting attorney, or collaborative divorce practitioner. I advocate the use of mediation and collaborative law whenever possible. I assist people in achieving a better result for all parties involved including the children. By steering people away from what is typically an unnecessarily costly and destructive process into one that is more affordable, constructive and offers them value add-ons, I believe I have made a big difference in a great many of my cases.

How did you build a successful practice?
My reputation.

What should clients look for in a lawyer?
Conflicts are emotional and disputes are fact-based. It takes emotional intelligence to resolve or manage conflicts, something the research consistently shows that lawyers tend to lack. As a result, lawyers tend to exacerbate the conflict in order to resolve disputes. Clients really should be seeking out the rare attorney who is well qualified in the particular field of law and who has a high level of emotional intelligence. Such lawyers are able to de-escalate the conflict, while assisting clients in resolving their disputes. Such lawyers also tend to be well-versed in mediation and collaboration. Hostage negotiators use mediation techniques when negotiating with hostage takers. If hostage negotiators conducted themselves in an adversarial manner, the hostage takers would almost certainly kill the hostages. The same is true of traditional lawyering versus mediation and collaboration. Traditional lawyering is adversarial and therefore tends to exacerbate conflict and increase distrust in order to obtain a result. The damage caused by traditional lawyering is to interpersonal relationships, family dynamics, and draining of finances, among other things. Outcomes are typically determined by the way in which the 'game' is designed. Therefore, shouldn't things be designed to achieve a more desired outcome?"

How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases?
Very little, except to the extent that I have familiarity with the mindset of many of my colleagues.

What information can you provide in a free phone consultation?
Information regarding the type of cases I do and don't handle and a very brief description of my approach.

What information do you need in a free phone consultation?
Whether or not they are going to allow anger and fear (real, perceived, or exaggerated) to control them or whether they want to work with someone who will assist them in not allowing their emotions to get the best of them. Another important piece of information is whether they intend on working with or against the other party. The answers to these questions will determine whether they intend on trying to resolve their issues in a constructive or destructive manner.

What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community?
I use a unique, integrative approach that utilizes law, psychology, behavioral economics, philosophy and other disciplines. I am an advocate of using consensual dispute resolution processes such as mediation and collaborative divorce, whenever possible. I consider the psychological and financial health of the entire family and assists them in navigating the emotional waters of Family Law. I also help my clients acquire new skills that can strengthen and empower them to better cope with future challenges. I understand the nature of human conflict and aim to help people resolve that conflict right from the start. I have become well-known as a constructive family law attorney and mediator. For those reasons and more, I have won numerous honors and awards in my capacity as an attorney, mediator and collaborative divorce practitioner.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Helping people to realize that approached properly, they are able to resolve their conflicts and disputes

What are your other interests in addition to law?
Education/learning, reading, writing, travel, theater, and music.

Are you involved in your community?
Yes. I am involved in various organizations that work toward creating more constructive / less destructive ways of resolving family law matters. In fact, I am considered by many to be a change agent in that regard.