Mediation Services Provided By The Firm

Mediation Services To You, Your Spouse and Your Attorneys:Catherine W. Real is not only a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator but also an attorney with a wealth of Florida Family Law experience. She is often asked to serve as a neutral mediator in family law cases whose parties are "unrepresented" or "represented by other attorneys."

Ms. Real is available to serve as an experienced, impartial neutral mediator to encourage and assist you, your spouse, and your attorneys, in attempting to reach a fair, complete, and expeditious settlement of your family law case, without expending the time, money and effort of a full-blown trial. Scheduling mediation sessions, even on short notice or at odd hours, can generally be accomplished. Contact Catherine Real to see if our mediation services will meet your needs.

Information About Mediation:

Mediation is one of the first courses of action in any family law case and, if successful, can yield the most satisfactory results. Because many people are less familiar with the process of mediation than they are with a divorce, we have reviewed below some of the basics related to mediation.

What is mediation?

Mediation is a process that attempts to help the parties reach an agreement regarding all differences of opinion between them about legal issues by utilizing the services of a neutral mediator.

What are the advantages of mediation?

The Legal Proceeding Is Less Costly: Settling a case in mediation is usually less costly since disputes resolved in court usually involve the investment of more money in attorneys fees and overall costs.

More Satisfying Result: Clients usually find it far more satisfying to decide for themselves which parent will have custody, the visitation schedule of the non-custodial parent, the amount of child and spousal support, and the division of their property and debts rather than to permit a Judge to make these decisions for them.

What happens if the parties agree to settle at mediation?

The mediator prepares a written Marital Settlement Agreement that is signed by both parties. That agreement can then be presented to the Judge assigned the case so that a Final Judgment in strict accordance with the Marital Settlement Agreement can then be entered.

Can a mediator force a party to agree to anything?

No!

Is mediation required in divorce and modification cases?

Yes! The Florida Rules of Family Law Procedure require the parties to go to mediation both before temporary relief can be granted and before a final hearing (trial) can be held in the case. The Judge has the power to waive the mediation requirements but is generally reluctant to do so unless there are special or unusual circumstances.

Both parties have to agree to settle all issues in a case for there to be a successful mediation agreement. Sometimes mediation wastes time and money because of the antagonistic attitude of one of the parties or his or her attorney. Since Ms. Real is both an experience family law attorney and a Supreme Court Certified mediator, a client can be assured that if the case is capable of being settled, Ms. Real will set an atmosphere where agreement is possible. She will address all of the disputed issues in a legally creative way in hopes that the Agreement will not have to be frequently modified.

Mediation skills, therefore, are "essential" in a quality family law attorney. Fortunately, the Firm has an experienced Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator on staff.