Mediation
Mediation is a procedure designed to help you control your future by solving your own problems rather than surrendering that control to a judge or jury. Since there are no “winners” or “losers,” mediation preserves relationships which is especially important in divorce or post-divorce matters where children are involved. Mediation can resolve a wide variety of family, personal and business disputes. The resulting agreements have three things in common:
- They are more economical.
- They are reached more quickly.
- They have a higher rate of compliance than the orders of an impersonal court of law.
Our mediators are highly trained professionals with a broad base of experience. Whether mediation is court-ordered or voluntary, we are successful because we:
- Listen
- Remain neutral
- Clarify the issues
- Help define goals
- Are non-judgmental
- Keep parties on track
- Level the playing field
- Are alert to hidden agendas
We want our clients to feel good about us, and we want to feel we can be of assistance. To that end, we offer a free consultation session to determine whether mediation is right for you. We will not discuss the specifics of your case at this time, but together we can determine whether we can be of service to you. Before proceeding, we encourage each party to sign a confidentiality agreement. In addition, when one party requests a private meeting with the mediator to resolve an issue, we keep that conversation from the other party. Unlike many mediation services that charge by the hour, we offer standard set fees. Even when we recommend co-mediators, our fees remain the same. Although it is not required, we encourage attorney presence at our mediation sessions. At the conclusion of a successful mediation, we prepare a “Memorandum of Understanding” detailing your agreement, and send a copy to your attorney. If you are not represented, we suggest that you select an attorney to review the agreement.