Mediation and What It Entails
Mediation is an alternative to court cases whereby the involved parties, together with a neutral third party's assistance, decide their outcome. Mediation can take place at any time cases have been filed. Typically, mediation occurs at any time after lawsuits have been filed and the involved people have had the chance to talk and exchange requests and assess the submitted information. Also, mediation occurs in the office and not the courtroom, making it less formal.
Who Is A Mediator?
A mediator is an individual who is professionally trained and who functions as a go-between, individually working with the involved parties to work out terms of agreement that resolve unresolved issues. The mediator does not determine the results of the dispute but helps the people reach their reciprocally acceptable resolution. Even though mediators are mostly also lawyers, the function of a mediator is not to provide legal advice to the people involved.
Cost of Mediation
The cost of mediation regarding family law differs in every county and sometimes in every case. If the court has ordered you to mediate, some counties will offer mediation services to involved people or provide waivered costs based on the financial need.
In other cases, the court of law might order the involved people to participate in mediation and use a private mediator. The rates of private mediation vary from one mediator to another. Therefore, ensure that you request a schedule of the fees before assenting to select any mediator to assist with your case.
Many mediators will necessitate retainer fees for their services before the mediation is done, although this cost is much lower than the amount you would have paid for an attorney. The longer the process of mediation, the more costly the rates.
Benefits of Mediation
The process of family mediation offers the following benefits to their families; Mediation is efficient as a dispute can settle with a few sessions. Also, mediation helps with the preservation of relationships. Rather than going through several years of litigation that could quickly destroy familial relationships, the focus of mediation is to find solutions and a common ground suitable for both parties.
Additionally, unlike a lawsuit, mediation is flexible since both parties have a say in the negotiation and even more control over the outcome. Affordability is also a benefit because the costs are lower than that of trial. The mediation process is confidential, whereas court cases are made public. The information revealed in the process cannot be used in a judicial proceeding.
Should you and your spouse want to learn if the family mediation procedure is for you, we can always help you figure it out.
