MEDIATION SERVICES

Mediation is a voluntary, gentler and dignified alternative to traditional litigation that saves on time and money and can eliminate the need for parties to ever appear in court.

I will help my clients successfully mediate all family law and other civil issues, to include child support, parenting and decision making, property division, child support, custody, and business disputes.

Why Mediation?

Mediation is a confidential, voluntary process in which the participants discuss their needs and concerns, and with the assistance of a mediator, utilizing problem-solving techniques, they reach agreements on the issues and create their own solutions. By resolving disputes in mediation, parties determine for themselves what is important and, ultimately the outcome of the situation. While the benefits of mediation vary somewhat depending upon the nature of the dispute, and the model of mediation applied, the following are some of the benefits typically associated with mediation.

  1. Low cost: much less costly than litigation
  2. Faster to resolve: much faster than taking a case through the court system
  3. Benefits the kids: research shows how divorce and custody battles negatively impact the children for years post judgment. Through mediation, the children benefit as parents resolve their differences in a more cooperative manner.
  4. Confidential: The mediation process is confidential with no public record of what goes on in your sessions.
  5. Fits your schedule: Mediation sessions are determined by the parties and thus are held when convenient for them.
  6. More controlled: In mediation, you and your spouse will receive counsel and advice from your mediator and advisors but all decisions ultimately are made by you and your spouse or other party
  7. Neutral process:  As your mediator, I do not take sides or make any decisions for you and the other party. I will provide information about relevant areas of the law, will help you to share information with each other, and help you to become well-informed. But all decisions are yours and your spouse to make and we will not favor one party over the other or any particular plan or method that the parties propose.
  8. Quality of Settlement: Studies indicate parties entering into voluntary agreements through mediation are far more likely to adhere to and fulfill commitments made in such agreements than they are with judicially imposed resolutions.
  9. Avoid bad outcomes: Through mediation, parties avoid both the “win-lose” and “lose-lose” outcomes associated with litigation.
  10. Dignified and safe: Parties to mediation get the opportunity to express their feelings and thoughts in a safe and respectful forum and they also hear the other person express their point of view. 

 

“I believe everyone is capable of disagreeing in a dignified manner.” – LaJuanda Williams-Griffin

Early Dispute Resolution (EDR)

EDR is designed to enable the parties and their lawyers to meaningfully and insightfully evaluate the value of a dispute without the necessity of going through the process of full-blown litigation. Ideally, it is a process engineered to guide the parties to an outcome that theoretically is within a reasonable range of values upon which a settlement would be reached if a lawsuit followed a traditional timeline.

From the outset, the goal of EDR is for each party to have “Sufficient Knowledge”, which is defined “as enough information to understand the merits of each side’s position and leverage, and to make an informed judgment as to the value of each side’s case.”