Bay Area · Statewide via Zoom

You don't need a fight. You need a way forward.

Schedule a Free Consultation How It Works
Private Mediation
& Conflict Resolution

Bay Area, CA

The only way out is through. That's not a platitude — it's the actual shape of this work. You're in the middle of something that's costing you sleep and there are lots of ways to make it worse: costlier, more painful, longer. Vesper exists for the people who are ready to stop fighting and start finishing. We'll get you through. What's on the other side is yours.

✦ What Brings People Here

Every situation is specific.
The need for resolution is universal.

01

Divorce & Separation

You've decided to end the marriage. Now you need to figure out everything that comes next without handing those decisions to a judge who doesn't know your family. Mediation keeps that where it belongs — with you.

02

Parenting Plans & Custody

Not the boilerplate schedule. The real one — the school pickups, the holidays, the Wednesday night calls, the decisions nobody put in a form. And when circumstances change — a new school, a relocation, a disagreement about health insurance, a teenager who needs a different arrangement than the one you made when she was six — you can come back and rework it together, whether or not I was involved the first time. Mediation keeps these decisions with the people who actually know the kids.

03

Nonprofit Board Disputes

Boards are chosen families with bylaws — and they fight like families too. Founder tension, factional splits, an executive director conflict that's poisoning every meeting, a longtime member everyone's afraid to confront. These disputes can paralyze an organization for years or blow it up entirely. I help boards get unstuck, make the hard decisions, and move forward with their mission intact.

04

Dividing the Stuff

The financial advisor sold the house and split the accounts. But nobody handled the rug. The jewelry. The wine decanter. The andirons. This isn't a legal dispute — it's a family one. I hold space so the things your parent loved don't end up costing you your siblings.

05

Neighbor Disputes

The property line, the tree, the dog that barks from eight to six while you're trying to work, the shared driveway that somehow became a daily negotiation. Neighbor conflicts are uniquely exhausting because the other party isn't going anywhere — and neither are you. Mediation gets you to an agreement you can both live with, without attorneys, without courts, and without poisoning a relationship you'll be navigating for years.

06

Small Claims Mediation

Before you file — or after you've filed and realized you'd rather not spend a day in court over $3,000 and a principle — mediation is faster, less formal, and leaves the relationship intact if that matters. I work with landlords and tenants, contractors and clients, neighbors, and anyone else who has a dispute that's real but doesn't need a courtroom to resolve.

07

Pre- & Postnuptial Agreements

An honest conversation about money before or during marriage is a gift, not a threat. Mediation makes it collaborative — both people at the table, no one being ambushed by the other's attorney.

08

Pet Custody

The attachment is real. So is the conflict. When a relationship ends and a pet is at the center of it, I can help you reach an arrangement that works — without lawyers, courtrooms, or permanent bad blood over who gets the dog.

09

Estate & Inheritance Conflict

Grief and money are a volatile combination. Sibling disputes over estates can end families permanently — and often over amounts that wouldn't cover a month of litigation. They don't have to go that way.

10

Property & Financial Division

Assets, debts, retirement accounts, the house — dividing what you built together is complicated. I bring legal knowledge to the table so the conversation stays grounded in reality while you make the actual decisions.

11

Roommate Disputes

You share a lease, a kitchen, and apparently every possible opinion about dishes, noise, guests, and who used the last of the coffee. When a roommate relationship breaks down — or needs a reset before it does — mediation can get you to a clear agreement without the drama of involving your landlord, a lawyer, or anyone's parents.

12

Family Business Disputes

When your business partner is also your parent, sibling, or ex-spouse, the stakes aren't just financial. I help untangle the professional from the personal so you can make clear decisions about both.

✦ How It Works

The only way out is through.
Let's make it fast.

01

Free Consultation

We talk. No charge, no commitment. You tell me what's going on and I tell you honestly whether mediation makes sense for your situation.

02

Joint Sessions

We meet together — in person or via Zoom — for sessions of 2 to 3 hours depending on the number of people and their tolerance for hard conversations. I keep it moving. I keep it honest.

03

Agreement Drafted

Your decisions go into a clearly written memorandum of understanding. For divorces, many mediators turn it over to consulting attorneys to finalize — you may do that, or I can complete your stipulated judgment myself. For other disputes, the agreement is yours to keep and act on.

04

Done.

Most cases resolve in a handful of sessions — weeks, not years. The decisions are yours. The cost is a fraction of litigation. And you can get on with your life.

✦ Fees

One flat fee.
No clock-watching.

Vesper charges a single flat fee that covers everything from start to finish. You're not watching the meter run. You're not cutting a session short because you can't afford another hour. You're focused on actually getting to resolution.

The flat fee includes intake, all paperwork, and however many sessions my experience tells me your situation will take — a roommate dispute is not a divorce. After our initial consultation, I'll tell you what I think you'll need and what the fee will be.

Intake & case preparation
Sessions tailored to your situation (2–3 hours each)
All drafting and document preparation
Memorandum of understanding
In person or via Zoom

"You aren't watching the clock.
You're more focused."

Vesper provides legal information to help you understand your options — not legal advice, and not legal representation. For independent legal counsel, consult your own attorney. Vesper is not your lawyer.
Heather Eastwood, Esq., founder of Vesper Mediation — licensed attorney and family mediator based in Oakland, CA
✦ About Heather

Not your lawyer.
Something more useful right now.

I came to mediation the long way: through law school, a litigation career, and a building frustration with a system that charges people doctorate-level fees to accomplish completely ordinary life transitions. A divorce. A custody schedule. A decision about the dining room table. A nonprofit board that can't get out of its own way. The American legal system is extraordinary at many things; accessible, humane resolution of normal human conflict is not among them. So I found another way.

A licensed attorney and trained mediator, I have seen enough of the courtroom to know most people are better served by staying out of it. Teaching, it turns out, was the more transferable credential; I can make complicated matters clear, meet people at their starting point, and move a room full of people with completely different agendas toward the same resolution. That is most of this job.

My role is to help you locate the decisions that actually need making — not to choose them for you. You will not get everything you walked in wanting, but that is not just the math of dividing all by two. You are not just in conflict with them. You are also in conflict with your own priorities and values. You want your kids every day, but you also want them to have a meaningful relationship with both their parents. You are furious at the board member who's been blocking progress for two years and you also know she's the one who built the donor relationships. The best resolution accounts for all of you — not just the grieving part, not just the angry part.

There is an after. I've gotten a lot of people there. You no longer get to choose not to go, but you do have some control over how you arrive on the other side. A brutal process doesn't just damage the relationship you were in; it damages your capacity for the ones ahead. You don't have to find that out. My process still hurts, yes, but the life after is more vibrant. The scorched-earth alternative costs more than money, and you spend it out of the after, not the before.

Heather Eastwood, Esq.
University of Virginia School of Law
Licensed to practice law since 2005
Mediation Training, UC Davis
Member, Southern California Mediation Association
Alameda County Superior Court Mediation Panel
✦ For Referral Partners

Your clients are at a crossroads.
Vesper helps them find a path forward.

Attorneys

For clients who are better served by resolution than litigation, and for collaborative divorce support alongside independent counsel.

Therapists

When clients have done the emotional work and need practical resolution to match it, mediation completes the picture.

Financial Advisors

Clients facing asset division, support, or estate conflict benefit from a structured neutral process before decisions get made in anger.

Estate Planners

For families already in conflict over inheritance — before it escalates into litigation that consumes what little is left.

Realtors

When separating owners can't agree on the sale, a mediator can get the deal unstuck and the relationship intact.

✦ FAQs

Questions people ask before they call. Answered plainly.

What's the difference between a mediator and a lawyer?
A lawyer represents one side. A mediator represents the process — I work for both of you, or all of you, with the goal of reaching a resolution everyone can live with. I'm a licensed California attorney, which means I can give you legal information and help you understand how the law applies to your situation. But I am not your attorney and I'm not giving legal advice. If you need independent counsel, I'll tell you that — and you should get it.
Do both people have to agree to mediation?
Yes. Mediation is voluntary. Both — or all — parties need to be willing to come to the table. You don't have to agree on anything going in. You just have to be willing to try. In my experience, people who show up are usually more ready than they think they are.
How much does mediation cost compared to going to court?
Vesper charges a flat fee that covers intake, all paperwork, and up to five sessions. A contested divorce in California can run $15,000 to $100,000+ per person in attorney fees, and take 12 to 18 months. Mediation is typically a fraction of that cost and resolves in weeks. Contact me for current fee information.
How long does a session last?
Sessions run 2 to 3 hours depending on the number of people involved and their self-identified tolerance for uncomfortable conversations. I'd rather go longer and get somewhere than stop right when you're making progress.
What if we can't agree on everything?
Partial agreements are real and valuable. If we resolve eight out of ten issues, you've narrowed what's left enormously — and saved the cost of litigating all ten. In some cases, reaching a partial agreement is what makes full resolution possible. We document what we've agreed to as we go.
Is mediation confidential?
Yes. What's said in mediation stays in mediation. Under California law, mediation communications are confidential and generally cannot be used in court proceedings. This is one of the things that makes it a safe space to have the hard conversations.
Can you help with things that aren't technically legal disputes?
Yes — and this is some of my favorite work. Dividing a parent's personal belongings after they pass, figuring out who gets the dog, talking through a family business disagreement — these don't require lawyers. They require a skilled neutral who can hold space, keep the conversation productive, and get you to an agreement before things get worse. That's exactly what I do.
Do you work with clients outside Oakland?
Yes. I meet in person in Oakland and throughout the East Bay, and I work with clients across California via Zoom. Remote mediation works well — in some cases better, because people are more comfortable in their own space. I'm available to clients in Berkeley, Piedmont, Alameda, Walnut Creek, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Danville, San Ramon, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Martinez, San Francisco, San Rafael, Mill Valley, Sausalito, Larkspur, Corte Madera, Tiburon, and statewide.
Do you work with nonprofit boards?
Yes. Board conflicts are among the most delicate disputes I handle — the stakes are the organization's mission, and the people involved usually care deeply, which is part of why it's so hard. Whether it's founder-board tension, factions that have stopped speaking productively, an executive director situation, or a merger that's surfaced old disagreements, I help boards work through it without losing the organization in the process. I work with small and mid-sized nonprofits throughout the Bay Area and California.
Can you help with neighbor disputes?
Yes — and these are among the most urgent cases I see, because the stakes are immediate and daily. A barking dog, a disputed property line, a tree dropping debris into someone's yard, a shared driveway that's become a source of constant friction — these don't require lawyers or courts. They require a skilled neutral who can get both parties to an agreement before the relationship becomes irreparable. I work with neighbors in Oakland, the East Bay, and throughout California via Zoom.
Oakland✦ Berkeley✦ Piedmont✦ Alameda✦ Walnut Creek✦ Orinda✦ San Francisco✦ Marin✦ California Statewide via Zoom

✦ Take the First Step

A conversation costs nothing.
Waiting often does.

Free 20-minute consultation. No obligation.

Email to Schedule Call (510) 575-9579

Confidential  ✦  In-person Oakland  ✦  Zoom statewide

© 2025 Vesper Mediation · Heather Eastwood, Esq. · Oakland, CA

Oakland · Berkeley · East Bay · San Francisco · California

Vesper Mediation provides mediation and conflict resolution services. The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Accessing this website or contacting Vesper Mediation does not create an attorney-client relationship. Heather Eastwood, Esq. acts as a neutral mediator, not as legal counsel for any party. Each party to a mediation is encouraged to consult independent legal counsel. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Vesper Mediation serves clients in Oakland, the East Bay, and throughout California.