FAMILY LAW ARTICLES

Mediation

Consider Mediation for Your Family Law Case.

The ultimate goal of every family law case is producing a Judgment.  The Judgment is typically the final document in a case.  Ordinarily it dissolves marital status or determines paternity, provides for parenting arrangements, financial support and divides property and debt, among other things.

Generally, a Judgment is created through one of two approaches: (1) Litigation, where the parties present their disputes to a judge and the judge’s rulings become the provisions in the Judgment; or (2) by agreement, where the parties’ agreements become the provisions in the Judgment.

Mediation is a process for reaching agreements and avoiding litigation.  A mediator is an impartial third party who facilitates the resolution of family disputes by working with the participants to explore options, make decisions and assist the parties in reaching their own agreements.

Almost every decision you make in a case has pros and cons, and the choice regarding which approach to use is no different.  Some cases must be litigated.  But for the cases best suited for mediation, the benefits are great:  When the parties generate their own solutions, they have greater control over the process, with time to carefully consider options and potential problems that may arise and that can be addressed ahead of time;  communications within the mediation process are confidential, which provides the parties a level of privacy they will not receive in litigation;  and the mediation process is generally faster and less time consuming which typically saves money for the parties.

If you are interested in mediation as an approach for your family law case, consider John Castellano for your mediator.  John is especially well-suited for this role.  He believes that one key to a successful mediation is to focus the participants on both their individual and common interests.

John has 25 years of experience handling all aspects of family law matters.  He is a partner with Hartley Lamas Et Al. and has been with the firm for more than 10 years.  He received his mediation training from the highly regarded Mosten Guthrie Family and Divorce Mediation Training Program and he is a member of the Academy of Professional Family Law Mediators.