Virtual Services Available:
Gemma Corbin offers online family and divorce mediation and online collaborative divorce representation for clients across New York State. Contact the office for further information.
CORBIN FAMILY LAW & MEDIATION offers divorce and family mediation and collaborative divorce services, and also assists clients in litigated Family Court and matrimonial matters throughout Central New York. The office is owned by attorney Gemma Rossi Corbin.
Mediation and Collaborative Law are two distinct methods of resolving conflicts and legal disputes without going to court. They are successful in many scenarios, including family, business, and community disputes.
For many years, Mediation and Collaborative Law were referred to as “alternative” dispute resolution techniques; however, they are quickly becoming the preferred paths in family and divorce cases, here in Central New York and around the country. This movement has been called the “velvet revolution” in family law, because these models remove conflicts from the win-lose arena of a courtroom and allow them to be negotiated and discussed in an open and practical way, without destroying relationships.
“My practice evolved to include Mediation and Collaborative Law because, after working in family law for many years, I observed that many people who want and need to separate or get divorced, or parents who want to resolve child custody and parenting issues, find themselves stuck. They have legal and procedural questions they don’t know how to address, or they don’t want to “lawyer up” in the traditional way and risk depleting their finances on unpredictable legal fees and a prolonged court process. These newer models are underutilized ways to bring couples and parents toward the same result, but with cooperation instead of competition. They allow for a more personalized resolution, have a very good success rate, and are almost always less expensive than starting from scratch in court. In short, it is definitely worth investigating which model is most appropriate and trying it first. Couples are often relieved to find how well they work.”
The process of unwinding a marriage in New York can be difficult for even the most amicable couples, and an attorney-mediator or collaborative attorney can ensure that all of the essential legal issues are addressed in a way that allows the couple to formalize a binding agreement and eventually obtain a no-fault divorce without going to court.
For more information about the differences between Divorce Mediation and Collaborative Divorce, click below, or email us to ask for our Process Comparison Chart. You can also schedule a call with Gemma Corbin here for an initial discussion and to ask questions about the divorce process, potential costs, and next steps.
DIVORCE MEDIATION
COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE
Gemma Rossi Corbin was admitted to the bar in 2002 in her hometown of Syracuse, and she added alternative dispute resolution methods to her family law practice after nearly two decades of representing parents, grandparents, and children in Family Court cases (including custody/visitation, abuse/neglect, family offense, child support, and paternity), and spouses and children in divorce cases. She is a trained and skilled collaborative lawyer and mediator, and is happy to be able to offer those models to resolve family conflicts more peacefully and with children’s interests in mind.
In addition to her work with clients, Gemma currently teaches Family & Domestic Relations Law as an adjunct professor for a local community college’s paralegal program, and is a volunteer mediator at a nearby community dispute resolution center. Gemma is a former president of the Madison County Bar Association and was recognized by the New York State Bar Association for her pro bono service in 2015 and 2004. She is a graduate of Le Moyne College and Syracuse University College of Law.
