Benefits of Mediation

Don Steward
AZCLDP #80339

Experienced Mediator | Family Court Conciliator | Decades of Legal Experience | An Industry Leader

Don Steward brings more than 35 years of experience in mediation, legal services, counseling and conflict resolution. His career has been distinguished by helping individuals, families, groups and organizations resolve disputes through legal services, mental health training and alternative dispute resolution.

Don has served as a Family Court Conciliator with the Maricopa County Superior Court, where he conducted confidential conciliations and mediations, open negotiations, parenting conferences, parental fitness assessments and child interviews in family court matters. He has mediated more than 500 legal decision-making and parenting time disputes, conducted more than 100 confidential conciliation conferences and completed hundreds of parenting conferences and child interviews.

Don holds a Master of Counseling degree from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Arizona State University. His education in counseling and psychology, combined with decades of mediation and family court experience, provides him with unique insight into family dynamics, conflict resolution and effective communication strategies.

Don is also one of the pioneers of Arizona’s Certified Legal Document Preparer profession. He helped negotiate and develop the framework that resulted in the nation’s first certification program for legal document preparers. He was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, the committee responsible for developing Arizona’s Certified Legal Document Preparer certification program, and later served on the Arizona Supreme Court Board of Legal Document Preparers from 2003 through 2006. Don has also overseen the general operations of the Arizona Associate of Independent Paralegals from 2004 to present, which provides continue legal education for Arizona Certified Legal Document Preparers.

As an Arizona Certified Legal Document Preparer, Don has extensive experience in family law, probate, estate planning, business entity formation and civil legal matters. He is trained in civil and family mediation, including advanced family, divorce and domestic violence mediation. His background in counseling, psychology and family court services allows him to help parties communicate effectively, identify common ground and reach practical agreements through a facilitative mediation process.

Kellie DiCarlo
AZCLDP #81069

Family Law Mediator | Decades of Legal Experience | Owner of Arizona Legal Document Services, LLC | Navy Veteran

Kellie DiCarlo brings more than 30 years of legal experience to the mediation process. She has helped thousands of Arizona families navigate divorce, parenting plans, child support, legal decision-making and post-decree matters.

As founder and owner of Arizona Legal Document Services, LLC, she, her paralegals and staff have provided exemplary legal document preparation services for  18 years, while maintaining an A+ rating with the BBB. Kellie has served on the Family Court Improvement Committee nka Committee of Family Court with the Arizona Supreme Court since its inception in 2019 and served on the Subcommittee for the current 2026 and previous 2022 Arizona Child Support Guidelines. She received training for mediation through the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Her extensive knowledge of Arizona family law procedures allows her to help families reach informed and practical agreements. 

Kellie DiCarlo is a U.S. Navy veteran who served from 1986 to 1992, including duty assignments in Spain and Sicily. Her military service instilled a lifelong commitment to service, integrity and advocacy. Today, she is passionate about supporting veterans, active-duty military members and their families. She brings a unique perspective to her work, combining professional expertise with an understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the military community.