Mediating Prenups

GETTING MARRIED?

Thinking About Having a Prenuptial Agreement?

Wondering where to begin?

Mediating Prenups details how to begin the process by choosing mediation as the best first step in creating a marriage-friendly prenuptial agreement. In the book, the author describes the potential problems that develop when beginning with the usual attorney-led negotiations, both by initiating a damaging power imbalance as well as engaging in inflexibility that can harm the viability of a marriage. Those standard methods result in creating terms embedded in the resulting the prenup that can diminish marital contentment and resilience.

Mediating Prenups describes a better process: By working within mediation at the outset, an engaged couple can develop terms collaboratively, which benefit both future spouses (and the relationship itself) over time in their marriage. Finally, the author explains, in detail, the mediation process which she has found to be effective in helping future spouses come to an agreement regarding the financial terms of their marriage-terms that actually support the upcoming marriage when a prenuptial agreement is needed.

With a clarity and grace that comes from years of experience helping couples through the pain of divorce, and now helping couples create healthy marriages, Laurie Israel shares her insightful, optimistic, and grounded wisdom on building a strong, collaborative marriage. She details how mediation can be used to solve the financial issues inherent in marriage, including in second marriages, marriages with children of wealth, business owner marriages. The book also addresses how to think about and resolve many other financial issues encountered when marrying, whether or not there will be a prenup.

Mediating Prenups is a perfect companion to Laurie Israel's previous two books about prenuptial agreements. In this book she finds just the right balance between being a step-by-step how-to book and a deeper more philosophical dive into the concept of prenups, money and marriage, and a healthy way to think about them.

Mediating Prenups is a gem of a book. In short, concise chapters, it is a thought-provoking read for marrying clients, their advisors and equally for attorneys and mediators, who care about creating a peaceful and collaborative process for couples working on prenuptial agreements. The book contains loads of tips, both small and large, for negotiating an agreement which focuses on the long-term health of the marriage, not just an agreement to protect the financial assets or income of one or both of the parties.

Shocking, but true, as Laurie points out, when financial advisors and attorneys fail to discuss prenups with their clients using a marriage-supportive lens, it actually serves to create marital risk rather than mitigate it. The book provides solid advice for building a happy life with a new spouse, digs us out of the era of marriage-weakening prenups, and spiritedly charts a new way forward.

She did it again. Laurie's latest book, Mediating Prenups, is a perfect companion to her previous two books about prenuptial agreements. I highly recommended its inclusion on the to-do list for any couple contemplating a prenup. Laurie's book finds just the right balance between being a step-by-step how-to book and a deeper more philosophical dive into the concept of prenups and a healthy way to think about them.

-Oran Kaufman, Esq., Attorney/Mediator, Amherst, Massachusetts

Mediating Prenups is a life-changing, practice-altering masterpiece. Laurie has re-framed the way I approach the most important decisions a couple can make before they marry-it has caused me to shift my views on prenups by 180 degrees.

-Ashley Andrews, Esq., Collaborative lawyer and Mediator, Arcadia, California

Laurie Israel has written THE definitive book on mediating prenups, which is not merely a highly useful addition to her previous books, but an invaluable guide to practicing mediators and couples delving into the nuts and bolts of overcoming any impasse and reaching fair and intelligent agreements. It is wise and brilliant, insightful and practical, and no one should mediate without it.

-Kenneth Cloke, mediator and author of The Magic in Mediation and The Dance of Opposites, Santa Monica, California

Mediating Prenups is a gem of a book. In short, concise chapters, it is a thought-provoking read for marrying clients, and equally for attorneys and mediators, who care about creating a peaceful and collaborative process for couples working on prenuptial agreements. The book contains loads of tips, both small and large, for negotiating an agreement which focuses on the long-term health of the marriage, not just an agreement to protect the financial assets or income of one or both of the parties; this feels like such an important distinction in making a prenuptial agreement "successful."

-Amy Carron Day, Esq, Day Law and Mediation, New York, New York

Laurie Israel has achieved something unique and essential: she's penned a book on prenuptial agreements that doesn't view love as a legal liability. Mediating Prenups presents a considerate, compassionate, and deeply experienced perspective on infusing intention and empathy into one of the most emotionally charged legal documents. With her wealth of experience spanning decades, Laurie dismantles the conventional adversarial approach to prenups and demonstrates why mediation is an essential tool for preserving relationships.

-Shawn Weber, JD, Attorney, Mediator, Trainer, Solana Beach, California

For couples considering marriage, and their advisors, Laurie Israel's new book, Mediating Prenups, is an investment that powerfully helps create strong relationships. Understanding how to discuss prenuptial agreements is a crucial step for a couple's premarital conversations. Shocking, but true, as Laurie points out, when financial advisors and attorneys fail to discuss prenups with their clients using a marriage-supportive lens, it actually serves to create marital risk rather than mitigate it. I strongly recommend this book for professionals working in the marital field, and as a gift for couples to give themselves.

-Clare Fowler, author of Rising Above Office Conflict, Vice President of ODR.com

Laurie Israel is a nationally recognized prenuptial agreement attorney, mediator and consultant, who works with couples formulating prenups throughout the country. Mediating Prenups: A Better Path Forward for Marriage-Positive Prenuptial Agreements, is Laurie's third book on prenups. In it, she describes in detail why mediation is often the best first step for creating healthy prenuptial agreements and how it allows an engaged couple to develop terms collaboratively. Laurie's work in the field and her many writings help people navigate the challenges inherent in creating fair and balanced prenups when one is needed, both in process and result. Laurie is the author of two other books on prenuptial agreements: The Marriage-Friendly Prenup (2025) and The Generous Prenups (2018). The Marriage-Friendly Prenup is a concise and updated version of The Generous Prenup. Mediating Prenups is available as an Audible recording, in addition to softcover and Kindle formats. Laurie's writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and she has been interviewed in New York Magazine, and many other publications. She is a frequent presenter on the topic of prenups on webinars and conferences and can frequently be heard sharing her views on prenuptial agreements on podcasts across the podcast sphere.

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