Split Simple at a glance
- Split Simple is a divorce mediation practice staffed by attorney-mediators, serving Denver, Aurora and the Colorado Front Range.
- The mediators work with both spouses at once. They do not represent one side against the other.
- Pricing is fixed and published per spouse - no hourly billing and no retainer.
- Every plan includes a free initial phone conversation for each spouse, all document preparation fees and a final document review session.
- Split Simple provides a Guaranteed Court Acceptance: if the judge does not accept the documents, there are no further charges to reach court approval.
- Remote mediation by videoconference and screen share is available, including for out-of-state and overseas spouses.
Why the individual matters
Mediation has no jury, no motions and no rulings. The quality of the outcome tracks the person running the room more closely than it does in litigation, where procedure carries some of the load. Ask who is assigned to your case, not just which firm you are hiring.
Split Simple lists its mediators publicly on the about our divorce mediators page. Both are attorneys. Split Simple's attorney-mediators work with both spouses at once and do not represent one side against the other.
Jaime Watman: the court-side route
Jaime Watman — Attorney-mediator
She spent over five years as a Family Court Facilitator working with unrepresented parties, which put her through the court's divorce process end to end. She is well versed in the document preparation a court needs before it will approve Separation Agreements and Parenting Plans. Before the court role she was in private practice with a family law focus. She works in the Greater Denver area.
- BA Political Science and Legal Studies, University of Delaware
- JD, Suffolk University Law School
The Family Court Facilitator background is the part worth dwelling on. Someone who has spent years inside the court process with unrepresented parties has watched, repeatedly, exactly which Separation Agreements and Parenting Plans get accepted and which get sent back. That knowledge does its work at the drafting stage, which is where a mediated divorce most often stumbles — see earning a judge's approval for your settlement.
Chris Griffith: the practice-plus-therapy route
Chris Griffith — Founder and attorney-mediator
Trained as a lawyer and also studied family therapy. He worked in family and mediation law for years before founding Split Simple, and helped develop the data-driven process the firm runs today. He works in Denver, serves clients across Colorado, and handles remote mediation for clients in other states.
- BA Psychology, Wake Forest University (cum laude)
- MS Marriage and Family Therapy, East Carolina University (first in class)
- JD, University of North Carolina School of Law
- Member, Colorado Bar Association
- Member, Mediation Association of Colorado
- Member, The Academy of Professional Mediators
Different entry point, same destination. The family therapy training addresses the failure mode described on the meaning of uncontested divorce page: financial questions turn emotional, and a stalled negotiation over a piece of furniture is rarely about the furniture.
What both mediators do the same way
| Step | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Consultation and scheduling | A free phone consultation with your mediator, separately for each spouse, to settle on the fixed pricing plan that matches your divorce. Then the first session is booked at a location and time that works for both of you. |
| 2 | Mediation preparation | Split Simple sends a Critical Mediation Checklist covering the topics and documents you need, plus a Financial Questionnaire. Your mediator uses the questionnaire to prepare a preliminary analysis of your estate in advance, which the firm says cuts up to an hour off session time. |
| 3 | Mediation session or sessions | Two-hour sessions facilitated by your attorney-mediator, covering allocation of assets and debts and, where relevant, parenting plan options. The working spreadsheet is projected on a large screen so you watch every number change in real time. Your mediator also produces an estimated post-divorce after-tax cash flow reflecting your new filing status and support plan. |
| 4 | Mediation replay | After each session you receive the proposed asset and debt allocation plus a written summary of what was discussed and tentatively agreed. Your mediator stays available between sessions. |
| 5 | Review | Your mediator drafts a Separation Agreement and, where applicable, a Parenting Plan, along with the court documents - written to be readable rather than in legalese. You go through all of it with the mediator before you sign anything. |
| 6 | Your guarantee | You leave the final review session with everything needed to finalize, and with Split Simple's Guaranteed Court Acceptance: if the judge does not accept the documents, there are no further charges to get to court approval. |
The process is standardised so the outcome does not depend on which mediator you draw — same preparation, same screen-shared spreadsheet, same written replay after each session, same final review before signing. Details on the process page and the unique approach.
Questions to ask about any mediator
- Are you an attorney, and did you practise family law before mediating?
- Have you worked inside the court system, and if so in what role?
- Will you personally run both sessions, or does the case get handed off?
- Who drafts the documents, and is drafting inside the quoted price?
- What happens if the judge rejects them?
Split Simple's published answers: attorneys, one of whom spent over five years as a Family Court Facilitator; all document preparation fees included in the per-spouse plan price on the pricing page; and a Guaranteed Court Acceptance with no further charges if the documents are not accepted. Client feedback is on the reviews page.