Mediation is a means to resolve your family matter outside of court and take control of the outcome of your dispute. Mediation is a structured process in which you and your spouse, partner or co-parent work with a neutral party, the mediator, who facilitates settlement negotiations in a private, non-confrontational setting. In traditional litigation, resolution of your matter is decided by a judge and the process typically comes at a substantial financial and emotional cost. Judges have less flexibility in how they can resolve matters in litigation, as they are bound to follow the relatively stringent requirements prescribed by the law in deciding outcomes. The mediation process enables you to find creative solutions tailored to the unique needs and goals of your family. Research indicates that mediation is successful in more than one-half of the cases and that parties with mediated outcomes are less likely to have post-agreement disputes.
The tone of your matter is set early in the process. We will recommend initial mediation to most of our clients as a means to resolve family law disputes, including those with high conflict custody matters and complex financial situations.
Julie and Ilene are certified mediators and can serve as the mediator for your matter, or any of our attorneys can serve as your advisor through the mediation process with another professional serving as the mediator. In that case, we will help you evaluate your spouse’s information, and initiate and evaluate settlement proposals. We assess the strengths and weaknesses of your position, and the various proposals while being sensitive to the importance of our role in the process. When appropriate, we assist by attending mediation sessions and participating directly in the mediation, especially with respect to complex financial issues.