WHAT IS MEDIATION? 

Mediation is a voluntary process that uses a neutral third party to facilitate a discussion of disagreements and attempting to reach an agreement that settles those differences. Mediation gives people an opportunity to be heard and to listen .

                               Advantages of Mediation

·        Effective.  More than 80% of all cases reach an agreement.

·        Saves Time and Money.

·        Greater Compliance.  Parties are more likely to abide by an agreement they have helped design.

·        Voluntary with Parties in Control of the Outcome.  Parties volunteer to mediate and contribute to resulting final agreements.

·        Decreases Stress and Disruptions.

·        Preserves or Improves Relationships.  This is especially important with family cases where the parties may have on-going dealings with each other or with children or other family members.

·        Private and Confidential.  Generally, interaction during mediation is confidential, encouraging an honest discussion of facts, views and feelings. The resulting agreement is not confidential.

·        Improves Skills for Resolving Future Disputes.  An important goal of mediation is to teach problem solving tools so that those skills can be used should disputes arise in the future.