WHAT IS MEDIATION?
If you have read any of the other pages, you may have seen that some of them have links to this page. Mediation is a vital, resourceful, and powerful tool that can prevent a divorce from going off the rails and becoming an out-of-this-world bill, or save the marriage at stake. Mediation is not only good for pending divorces, but can be helpful in any area of family law. Mediation is conducted by an impartial third party. The environment is controlled and calm. This is a way to control the outcome of the results. You and your spouse will discuss the issues on the table with the impartial person.
Why hire a mediator instead of a lawyer?
By using mediation, both parties can save money from trial and attorney fees. The parties can choose to have their attorneys present during the mediation or not. This is a useful way to achieve results outside of a courtroom. The pressures of a courtroom are not present when going to an informal meditation that produces formal results. Mediation can reduce court costs or resolve many problems before involving the court or other attorneys.
The benefits of mediation are:
- An informal and comfortable atmosphere.
- Not in a court
- You and the other party create the schedule
- Both sides have something to say and both can disagree.
- The actions taken to reach a decision are private and cannot be used in court as evidence, only the final result or agreement will be used.
- The cost of mediation is a fraction of what the legal bill would be without it (if there was or will be one)
What happens if only one person has a lawyer?
If the other party does not have an attorney, it may also help to use your attorney to negotiate. While this is not mediation per se, the act of negotiating with both parties present to explain your options and outcomes can significantly reduce potential costs and fees.
What if none of us have a lawyer?
When no one has an attorney yet, this is where mediation can help as they represent themselves in court. In cases where there are no attorneys for either party, the court will appoint a mediator for the case. By choosing to hire a mediator, you maintain the power to choose your mediator and save hours and money in court.
Mediation in Custody of Minors.
Child custody mediation is usually always necessary because the parties cannot reach an agreement. If this is the case, and you are reading this, you may be dealing with your custody battle. The mediator’s observations are highly appreciated in the courtroom. This is why custody battles are a gamble without proper guidance. Without having an experienced attorney to guide you through the mediation and custody battle, it can be scary, stressful, and a big gamble.
Hiring a mediator.
Hiring an attorney to mediate is as simple as calling and scheduling an appointment to learn about services and options. Don’t wait until everything gets out of control and you don’t know what your next move will be. Please feel free to contact us to schedule a consultation to learn more about this stressful process and how We can try to reduce that stress in half. Let us handle your Orange County custody battle.