Meet Leyla Balakhane
A Respected Divorce and Family Mediator Guided by Compassion and Experience
Leyla Balakhane is a highly respected Divorce and Family Mediator known for her professionalism, discretion, and steady leadership in complex family matters.
With more than fifteen years of experience in conflict resolution, she walks alongside individuals and families during some of the most challenging chapters of their lives. She recognizes that divorce carries both practical decisions and deep emotional weight. Through clarity, compassion, and thoughtful guidance, she helps families reach agreements that preserve dignity, reduce conflict, and protect the long-term well-being of their children.
Mediation Mastery – 40-Hour Training
Leyla is the co-founder of Mediation Mastery’s 40-Hour Mediation Training. Through this program, she equips professionals with the skills, ethical foundation, and practical tools necessary to serve clients effectively across family, civil, and community disputes.
Her teaching reflects her belief that mediation requires both technical competence and disciplined structure. The training integrates real-world case application, strategy, and professional development.
- USC Law School – 40-Hour Children & Dependency Mediation Training
- Pepperdine School of Law – Advanced Mediation Training in Family Law Dispute Resolution
- Seeds Community Resolution Center – 40-hour Mediator Certification
- Santa Clara County Superior Court – 40-hour Mediation Training
- Los Angeles County Bar Association – Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Arbitration Training
- Marina Collaborative Divorce Group – Mediation Training on Collaborative Divorce
- Santa Clara County Superior Court – Advanced Mediation Skills Practicum
- High Conflict Institute – Training on how to manage disputes involving high conflict personalities and personality disorders in mediation
- Santa Clara County Superior Court – Mediation and Negotiation Workshop
- American Institute of Mediation – Legal Nuts & Bolts Course
- National Business Institute – 25 Hour Family Law Training
- Centinela Youth Services – Mediation Training
- County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer Affairs Dispute Resolution Program – Civil Harassment Mediation Training & Advanced Mediation Techniques
- CSUDH–M.A. in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peace Building, 2011 – Distinguished Scholar Award
- Loyola Marymount University – B.A. in Psychology, 1999
- Balakhane Mediation–Family Law Mediator
- Britton White Mediation Services – Family Law Mediator
- Los Angeles Bar Association – Fee Arbitrator
- Children’s Courthouse – Supervise and mentor mediators and law students in performing child custody and visitation arrangements, draft mediation agreements, and create parenting plans that are informed by the court exit orders
- ADR Panel, Los Angeles Superior Court–Served as a mediator in family law and civil disputes
- LA Mediate, Family Law Mediator Panel –Served as a Family Law Mediator
- Center for Dispute Resolution Panel – Served as a mediator in Los Angeles Superior Court for small claims resulting in 90% in written settlement agreements
- California Academy of Mediation Professionals (CAMP) Mediator Panel – Mediated unlawful detainer, civil harassment, elderly abuse, domestic violence, limited jurisdiction, and small claims cases
- Inglewood Superior Courthouse – Volunteer at the legal clinic for domestic violence restraining orders
- Mosten Mediation Training, Mediation Coach – 40-Hour Divorce Mediation
- USC Gould School of Law, Mediation Coach – Children & Dependency Mediation
- Pepperdine and USC Law School, Mediation Trainer and Coach – Courtroom Mediation Skills
- Board Member, Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA)
- Board Member, Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM)
- Chair of Membership, SCMA
- Recipient of the 2023 SCMA President’s Award
- Certified Advanced Practitioner, APFM
- Panel Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association Arbitration Panel (LACBA), serving on the arbitration panel for attorney–client fee disputes
- Liaison Leader, SCMA Professional Development Groups
- Leyla leads SCMA’s monthly Professional Development Group for Family Law Mediators, where she teaches, facilitates continuing education, and invites distinguished professionals to share their insights.
- Leyla’s influence extends beyond California. As a member of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators Board of Directors, she also serves on the Committee Uniting State, National, and International Mediation Associations. In this role, she collaborates with leading professionals around the world to advance best practices and strengthen global standards. Her work supports the growth of mediation as a respected discipline that bridges cultures, promotes collaboration, and fosters understanding across diverse communities.
Advisor and Mentor to Mediators at the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court
- Leyla has served as an advisor and mentor to mediators handling dependency matters at Edelman Children’s Court. In this capacity, she supports professionals managing complex and sensitive cases involving children and families navigating the dependency court system.
From Conflict to Calling: My Journey Into Mediation
My path to mediation is deeply personal. It began not in classrooms or professional trainings, but in moments of survival, injustice, and resilience that shaped how I see conflict and the human spirit.
From growing up in the middle of war to watching my mother fight for our freedom, I learned early on that negotiation and fairness can mean the difference between despair and hope. For me, mediation is more than a profession. It is a calling.
A Process Built on Respect and Control
Cost-Effective
Avoid the unpredictable and spiraling costs of going to court. Pay for one mediator instead of two lawyers.
Confidential
Your private family matters stay private. Mediation sessions are not part of the public record.
Better for Children
Reduce conflict and create a positive co-parenting plan that puts your children’s well-being first.
You Control the Outcome
You and your spouse make the decisions about your future, not a judge.
Your Questions, Answered
Clear answers to common questions, covering what to expect, how the process works, and key details so you have the information you need without confusion or guesswork.
Divorce mediation is a popular process used by a couple in divorce to avoid a costly and lengthy divorce trial. With the assistance of a neutral third-party mediator, agreements are reached on all divorce issues: division of property and debts, spousal support, parenting issues including time-sharing, child custody, and child support. Since all agreements are made in mediation, spouses never have to enter a courtroom and can avoid the conflict and stress of litigation. In mediation, spouses make their own voluntary decisions and personalize their divorce terms to meet both of their needs.
The choice to settle the case and avoid court is always up to the spouses and which process will work best for them. Spouses tend to be more satisfied with the mediation process compared to litigation due to several advantages including the fact that spouses can discuss their interests in mediation and therefore have the opportunity to have their interests met. Mediation can occur in person, over the phone, and through video conference. Depending on the circumstances, mediation meetings can happen with the mediator and both spouses together (often called “joint session”). Mediation can also involve the mediator meeting with each spouse privately (often called “private caucus”) to discuss the needs of each party and find a way to help the spouses come closer to common ground. Unlike the public nature of the litigation process in court, in most states, “mediation confidentiality” is protected by law. This means that all communications in mediation and disclosure of documents are confidential.
A mediator is unlike a judge for several reasons. Most importantly, a mediator does not decide who is in the right or the wrong but rather focuses on finding a solution that meets the needs and desires of both spouses. A mediator will not impose his or her conclusions about how the issues should be solved. If necessary, a mediator might offer suggestions, but the most effective mediators will enable the spouses to generate their own solutions and agreements. Mediators do not make any kind of ruling on the case so spouses can spend less time trying to convince the mediator that they are right and instead focus on creating a joint resolution.
In comparison to the unknown timeline of a full-scale divorce suit that will end up in a trial, the length needed to complete mediation will be clear early on in the process. The average length of mediation usually involves at least three to four two-hour mediation sessions, spread out over at least a month or two. More complex cases can take between four to six months to complete. In addition to the timeliness of mediation, you will never have to feel as though you and your children’s futures are in the hands of someone other than you and your spouse.
Separating from your partner can be a costly process. In mediation, you control that cost. Divorce mediation is not nearly as expensive as a divorce trial or custody suit as a trial alone can cost thousands of dollars per day. Most family and divorce mediators charge by the hour and only charge for the time spent working on the case. Mediation generally costs between five and ten thousand dollars whereas one divorce hearing alone could cost that much. Having a separation agreement already prepared before beginning mediation can lessen the costs of mediation even further.
The money saved by choosing mediation over an exhausting divorce trial can be put towards children’s college tuition or even a few relaxing beach vacations to create lifelong memories with your loved ones.
