Michael Becker, Attorney Mediator - Westport, Connecticut

Cheramie Lee

Michael is an extremely thorough, respectful, diligent, and thoughtful mediator. There are many moving parts that affect all parties and Michael handled terms and conditions that were fair to both parties. He has a deep understanding of law, taxes, and family matters. I appreciated and valued his time, energy, and knowledge during the process.

Taryn Vanderburg

Review: Strongly Not Recommended

I am not one to post reviews, but my experience with Michael Becker was nothing short of a disaster and I feel that it is important that you read my review, before considering Michael Becker. Here are critical reasons why I strongly advise against using his services:

Negligence in Addressing Information: After filling out several confidential surveys, I confided in Michael about my concerns: the sudden ending of a nineteen-year marriage to the person I thought was the love of my life, my four young children, my lack of knowledge about the divorce process, my rights, and unfortunately, our finances. Because Michael is a lawyer, therapist, and accountant, I thought his skills would ensure that I was informed enough to make thoughtful decisions about my future. It turned out that it left me at an unfair advantage during the mediation. Michael’s negligence in the collection and verification of essential financial documents, and then the documentation of that information, left me exposed to significant financial risks during and after the divorce was final. Shockingly, Michael did not confirm account balances, employer contracts, pay stubs, or employer benefits. He just took our “word” from a spreadsheet he asked us to fill out.

Irresponsible Advice Against Legal Review: Michael made it very clear that he was against having the agreement reviewed by any outside professional. This irresponsible advice, which I took naively, deprived me of essential legal insights and protections. After the divorce was final, I found out that critical financial information was not disclosed and other financials were significantly misreported during the mediation, which left me vulnerable to a grossly unfair agreement. This had a devastating impact on me and my children. Although child support is always modifiable, Michael’s confusing and complicated language in the agreement made it nearly impossible to modify any of the other parts of the agreement under a court of law, after this information was found to be factual.

Unacceptable Inconsistencies in the Contract: The agreement was riddled with inconsistencies. These glaring accounting errors and confusing language in the lengthy agreement created loopholes, making the contract unreliable. Additionally, Michael charges a large sum of money for his services. I have spent double that amount to be represented by a lawyer after the divorce was finalized, as problems continue to arise from Michael’s agreement.

Unprofessional Behavior: Just months after my divorce was final, I emailed Michael about concerns I had regarding inconsistencies in the information reported in the agreement and financial affidavits. He replied to me, but he also thought it was best to include my then ex-husband, forwarding the concerns I had. He replied to both of us that it was a simple fix: all we needed to do was return to mediation to review the necessary information and accounts together and revise the agreement. It was unfortunate that Michael didn’t inform me that the whole case could have been reopened based on this fraudulent information because it was less than four months since the divorce was final. Additionally, Michael has never returned the many calls my lawyer made to him to discuss the problems and severe inequity with the agreement.

In summary, Michael demonstrated a complete lack of professionalism and competence. Now I know why my ex-husband pressured me to go through a mediator: it was very easy for him to charm Michael and manipulate me. I have learned a lot in these hard years during and after my divorce was finalized. I am on a mission to educate women about the mistakes made in my divorce: I am now informed of my rights and an informed woman is a lot harder to control.

For anyone considering mediation services, I strongly urge you to avoid Michael Becker. I urge you to be represented by a lawyer and be under the advice of other professionals who can ensure that your financial interests and rights are fully protected during your divorce.

Tracey Cranston

Having Michael's expertise and patience to guide us through an emotional time was key to an optimal outcome. Divorce is never easy, even if things are amicable. Michael's credentials are exemplary- an attorney, a financial expert, and MFT was like hitting a trifecta. I am forever grateful.

Francine Even

After dealing with two bickering and inefficient divorce attorneys for over 17 months we decided to stop this lengthy, costly and frustrating process and were lucky to be introduced to Michael Becker. Michael is a divorce mediator and worked with us together for 5 months. He is very knowledgeable about family law, guided us through the process being super efficient and well prepared and also very approachable. He is very direct but puts you at ease so you understand what you need to do and guides and supports you through the process. Both my now ex-husband and I never argued through the mediation process with Michael and with his help and guidance were able to reach an agreement. Had we known that we could navigate through the divorce procedures with a mediator like Michael Becker from the beginning, we would have saved a lot of money and time and reached a conclusion in our divorce a lot sooner. I highly recommend Michael to guide through a divorce procedure. He is obviously very knowledgeable, efficient and also caring.

J Metz

Michael is an extremely competent mediator, attorney, and family therapist. That combination of skills made the divorce mediation process as fair and pleasant as possible, given the circumstances.

I believe it was because of Michael's approach and experience that we were able to reach a fair agreement, and at the same time, work through some of the (sometimes hard) emotional situations that came up during the process. His guidance and patience and approach ensured each of us felt heard and we could move on appropriately when emotional issues came up.

In our case, we ended up going before a judge (this was for year-end timing reasons and is not necessary in most circumstances) and the judge expressed his respect for Michael's legal acumen and legal agreement drafting several times during the hearing. He spoke very highly of Michael which undoubtedly made the court process easier, too.

Overall, I thank Michael sincerely for his help and professional advice and ability. He knows what he is doing, and for any two people who are willing to use mediation as path for divorce, I recommend him without any hesitation. He is a warm human being who knows how to keep the mediation space emotionally safe for both parties, and his experience kept the process on track. His competence made the final process painless and well received by the court.

Jewel Weiler

Michael was recommended to us by our marriage counselor (and that is probably the greatest endorsement you can have). His combination of experience as a therapist, accountant, lawyer and mediator covers it all. By using a mediator instead of lawyers we were able to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in lawyer fees. But the real value was in the effect it had on our kids, because we were able to get through the divorce while keeping things amicable. I personally felt like Michael was very patient and made sure that all of my questions and concerns were addressed. And most importantly, everything was put into writing in a way that will ensure that any issues that arise in the future will be thoroughly and adequately covered. He really shined at the end of the divorce process where his experience as a merger and acquisitions attorney led to a very swift and organized method of filing with the court and he even attended court with us to make sure we felt supported and that things went smoothly. Trust me, you'll appreciate the extra support in navigating through the court proceeding. The judge found it very refreshing and thanked us repeatedly for keeping things amicable.

Roger Brouard

Working with Michael in the process of mediation with our divorce, was an absolute pleasure as he provided a safe, secure and professional guidance through the whole process and brought it to completion in a timely process that was not working with our previous attorneys! I highly recommended his service and very happy with the results!
Roger B

Jeff Fox

Michael was great. He has a kind, soft manner that set us at ease during the mediation and calmly helped us work through difficult issues or exchanges when they arose. Most importantly, he helped us come to a fair resolution in a way that left us getting along and able to co-parent well.