While you may have every reason to believe your family law matters will end up in court, here’s something to remember: The state of Florida expects you to do whatever you can to resolve all disputes out of court, such as through mediation.
Even though you may be unfamiliar with formal mediation, you’ll come to find that it’s a great way to save time and money, while also eliminating some of the emotional stress.
No two people are facing the same family law issues, so you need to pave your own path as you move forward with mediation.
First and foremost, you must dedicate yourself to making the process work. Just the same as litigation, you’ll run into challenges with mediation. It’s up to you to work through each session with the idea that you’ll make progress, even if only a little bit at a time.
While not always the case, you can expect to take part in two to three mediation sessions, each of which will last somewhere in the one- to three-hour range.
Once you’re able to reach a resolution on all matters, such as those related to child custody and property division, you can rely on the mediator to create a final settlement proposal to be presented to the court.
Mediation is one of the best ways to resolve a variety of family law matters. You may struggle to get into the right frame of mind, but if you devote yourself to the process, you’ll feel good about the progress you’re making. At that point, you’ll begin to see that there is an end in sight.