What is Mediation?

Mediation empowers you to the be the decision-maker. Is mediation right for you?

If you’re considering mediation, you may have stumbled across a few textbook definitions online or had others try to explain why you should choose mediation rather than go to trial. What’s most important to remember is that mediation allows you to arrive at a resolution contingent on your own belief of what is fair given your unique circumstances, rather than a judge or jury imposing a rigid solution.

Considering Mediation?

Here are a few points to think about.

Mediation is less expensive than a trial or a series of hearings.

Mediation is confidential, with no public record of what is discussed in your sessions.

You and your spouse or family, not the court, control the process, allowing you to determine your own schedule.

The mediation process can improve communication between you and your spouse or family members, helping you avoid future conflicts.

Types of Mediation

Divorce Mediation

In divorce mediation, you and your spouse—along with your attorneys, if applicable—hire a neutral third party, a mediator, to help you constructively discuss and resolve the issues related to your divorce. Those issues may include spousal support, child support, property division, child custody and/or visitation. The mediator doesn’t make decisions for you but serves as a facilitator to help you and your spouse determine the best outcome.

Post-Divorce Mediation

Post-divorce mediation can be a helpful tool for resolving disagreements that arise after the divorce is final. For example, one parent might seek to modify the child custody or child support provisions of the final decree due to major life events such as a change in income status, loss of employment, an ex-spouse’s relocation or an illness. Post-divorce mediation can also help parents improve communication and resolve disagreements related to co-parenting as children grow up and have changing needs.

Elder Mediation

In elder mediation, a mediator works with family members to help them address the legal, health, financial and emotional issues that come with aging. Caregiving for aging parents, estate disputes, safety and health concerns, finances and decisions regarding a family home or the best place for aging parents to live are often points of contention that mediation can help families successfully resolve.