Confidential Conflict Management Services
Mediation is a confidential alternative that offers you more control in resolving your dispute. It can also be more cost effective, allow you to resolve your conflict at your own pace, and be less stressful than litigation.
Christine is a trained, experienced, and neutral mediator who helps you resolve your dispute. She is not a judge who makes decisions for you. She is an impartial facilitator who guides you through conversations designed to help you explore your conflict, brainstorm new ideas, and create effective solutions reflective of your individual and collective needs.
Legal and non-legal claims can be mediated. If you have a dispute that you would like help resolving, reach out so we can determine if mediation is a good fit for your situation. There is no charge for a fifteen minute consultation to discuss your situation.
Why Mediation?
Best Interest of the Parties
• Personal Control. Parties keep control over the outcome of their own problem. Parties are free to craft a unique solution that fits their circumstance and satisfies their needs. They are not limited to money judgment.
• Cost Savings. Using mediation may avoid some expenses of litigation, including attorney fees, expert witness fees, appellate costs.
• Time Savings. Disputes can be settled promptly. A mediation session may be scheduled as soon as both parties agree, or are ordered to use mediation to try to resolve the dispute. Because of the large number of cases filed, court disposition of a civil case may take a year or more, after which, an appeal looms as a possibility. Mediation may be particularly important in time-critical disputes.
• Voluntary & Non-Binding. Mediation is not intended to replace the judicial system, but instead to function as an aid to the system. Parties who do not get the results they want in mediation have the right to proceed with traditional trial and appeal procedures.
• Reduced Emotional Trauma. Litigation is adversarial, and often litigants are not prepared to deal with emotional strain and pressure of protracted litigation. Mediation affords a means of resolving disputes in an atmosphere which is less hostile or adversarial than a courtroom. This becomes very important in elder law cases, domestic relations cases and probate matters.
Best Interest of Children
• Research shows that children usually benefit greatly by having both parents and extended family involved in their lives.
• Family mediations are focused mostly on children.
• Parenting schedules are developed with the help of the mediator according to parents’ work schedules and children’s’ activities.
• Mediators talk with parents about flexibility with visitation schedules and build in guidelines to accomplish them.
• Mediators find out what is most important to each parent about raising the children (education, sports, healthy eating, etc.) and work to see that those things are incorporated into the agreement.
• Parents can agree to visitation and graduated parenting time appropriate to existing relationships and child development stages.
Best Interest of the Court
• Quicker disposition of cases.
• Reduced motions.
• No trial time. Less jury expense.
• Parties are less likely to return to court. Studies show that parties are likely to adhere to agreements made in mediation.
• Even if mediation resolves only some of the issues, the court will have less to do.
• In family cases, the court always reviews the agreement and ultimately retains oversight of the case
Ready to Craft Your Own Solution?
What to Expect:
01.
Before Your Mediation
There is nothing you have to do prior to your first session. However, if you have concerns you want to make your mediator aware of prior to arrival, you can submit information in advance. Your scheduled mediation confirmation email and intake forms explain how to submit information in advance. You may also want to streamline the mediation process by bringing relevant information and documents to the mediation.
Typically mediations include the parties and their attorneys. There are advantages to having an attorney present or on-call during your mediation. However, you do not have to be represented by counsel to mediate. It is our policy during mediation either both parties are represented or neither party is represented.
If you want to have anyone else present at your mediation please submit their name in advance. All parties present at the mediation will be documented in the Agreement to Mediate and will need to sign the agreement acknowledging the confidentiality of the mediation.
You will not be required to mediate in the same room or interact with another party or their companions. Please indicate on your Intake form if you have a preference.
02.
At Mediation
Please arrive no more than 15 minutes early. We will follow your mediation opening plan as discussed in advance, including who will be present and how many rooms we will use.
Mediation is a voluntary process. It is important that everyone fully participate and value any decisions that are made. If at anytime you feel uncomfortable or unheard please speak up so your mediation can be adjusted to meet your needs.
Parties have the option of mediating together in one room or in private rooms. Either party may request separate rooms. In some cases your mediator may, at their discretion, decide the mediation can be handled more efficiently if the parties are in separate rooms.
After listening to opening statements and creating an agenda, if parties are in separate rooms, please be prepared to have some down time.
Some mediations are resolved in 3-4 hours, others take more time. If your mediation needs more time, or we have come to a point where a break would be fruitful, we can schedule to continue your mediation at a mutually agreeable time later that same day or in the near future.
03.
After Your Mediation
Your mediation is not complete until the parties involved have either signed an agreement or reached the conclusion that a settlement is not possible. If both parties are represented by counsel, the next step is for your attorneys to write up the agreement reached in mediation and, if needed, submit your agreement to the court.
If you are not represented by counsel then I can point you to resources to help you draft your own agreement and offer options for attorneys who will draft your agreement for a flat fee.
On rare occasions a dispute may come up during the drafting of the agreement. If this happens we can return to mediation to revisit the issues and make sure that we have a durable solution for your situation.
Some situations evolve with time, like parenting plans and workplace disputes. If there has been a change in circumstances that requires reexamining the agreement you can return to mediation to discuss your options and what adjustments need to be made given the new circumstances.
What we do
Family Mediations • Divorce Domestic Relations • Domestic Violence • Family Conflicts • Parenting Plans • Publishing • Multi Party Litigation • Art Law • Civil Mediations • Workplace Disputes • Landlord Tenant Conflicts • Breach of Contract • Non Profits • Small Business • Restorative Justice • and More
What Clients Are Saying
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Christine did a great job of explaining the other side's perspective.
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What I liked best about my mediation was... understanding and fair on both sides.
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Christine had a fantastic attitude, had a great understanding of the law and how to approach the issue with a mind towards settlement.
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What I liked best about my mediation...was being able to speak freely and everyone being heard.