MEET OUR FOUNDER
Christina Zavell, Esq.
Attorney, Court-Rostered Master Mediator, Domestic Mentor. Serving all of Utah.
Christina Zavell built her practice around one observation: families going through divorce are routinely served by a system that was not designed for them. Litigation strategies are reactive. Forms-based services do not know what to do with a closely held business or a complex asset and retirement portfolio. The families with the most to protect, mid-high net worth families are the ones with the fewest tailored options.
She founded The Contained Divorce to fill a much-needed gap and offers access to a carefully curated list of third-party professionals from a variety of family law disciplines directly to families. Parties receive information in real time together, which creates the opportunity for more informed and collaborative decision making. An attorney-led mediation framework, confidential by design, structured by an experienced Attorney/Master Mediator who has helped families save tens of thousands of dollars while dividing complex marital estates, business interests, real property, reworking parenting roles, and the family-systems dynamics that surface around all of them.
The idea is not to push a settlement. It is to give a family the structure to reach one on their own terms through a deliberate and guided process.
Christina is a licensed attorney in good standing with the Utah Bar and a Court-Rostered Master Mediator. She is a Domestic Mentor, trained in trauma-informed approaches to the family-systems dynamics that show up in divorce. Outside of session, she is a life-long learner and stays active in the various organizations listed below.
Licensure
Utah State Bar, in good standing
Massachusetts Bar Association, retired
Mediation
Court-Rostered Master Mediator (Utah)
Court-Rostered Domestic Mentor
Training
Trauma-informed family systems
Continuing education in collaborative law
Continuing education in high conflict family systems
Education
Juris Doctor, Suffolk University Law School with honors
B.A, International Relations, Brown University
Boards and Committees
Utah Council of Dispute Resolution (member)
Family Law Section, Utah State Bar (member)
Association of Family Conciliation and Courts (Past Board Member/Active Member)
Park City Utah Bar Association (Past Board Member)
Practice Area
All of Utah, with experience in all 8 districts
THE TEAM
The professional network behind every matter.
An attorney-mediator trained in The Contained Divorce process leads each mediation. Specialists are available for breakout appointments to lend expertise to the areas of co-parenting, family systems work, property settlement and alimony. Engagement is scoped: you do not pay for expertise you do not need.
Attorney-Mediators
Experienced and Licensed Utah attorneys cross-trained in Christina’s unique and efficient process of mediation.
Financial Neutrals
Forensic and certified divorce financial analysts who model settlement scenarios with real numbers.
Business Valuators
Independent valuation specialists to provide financial information on businesses, partnerships and equity interests.
Estate Planning Attorneys
Brought in when wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents need to be revised.
Family-Systems Therapists
Trauma-informed clinicians who assist families in the recalibrating family dynamics where needed.
Co-Parenting Specialists
Practitioners who help build durable parenting plans.
Financial and Tax Providers
CPAs and tax counsel who advise on the tax consequences of any proposed property settlement and asset division.
Trained Arbitrators
Available for the impasse that calls for a binding decision, drawn from our network, if the parties mutually decide to stay out of court.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
We have answers.
Divorce, handled differently.
Serving all of Utah
This website is for general information and is not legal advice. Reviewing this site, contacting Christina Zavell, or submitting a consultation request does not create an attorney-client relationship. The Mediator is not acting in the capacity of representing either party. Christina Zavell, Esq., is licensed to practice law in the State of Utah.