Is Mediation Right for Me?
In family law disputes, such as a divorce, you may believe that court is where you need to go — you’ll have your day in Court, justice will be served, and you and your children will have “won.” Unfortunately, people often underestimate the impact that litigation has on a person individually, and on the family as a whole.
For example, the process of obtaining a divorce involving children can easily last one year, often longer. By the one-year mark, parties are often fatigued and generally frustrated by the litigation process. Frequent complaints include having to take time off of work for pretrials, the Court not being on schedule, spending an hour in Court, yet only several minutes in the Courtroom, and of course, the financial cost of going through a lengthy court process.
Once the final trial has finally occurred, it may take several months until the Court issues a Decision. Even if you “won,” you may find that the Decision ignores major things that were really important to you. For example, perhaps the Court grants you full custody of your children, but the schedule the Court ordered is completely unworkable for your family. You, your ex, and your children all hate it. At the end of the litigation process, you’re left with an outcome that may not feel like such a “win” after all.
Because of the personal nature of family law cases, we believe that parents, not judges, should decide matters that will affect what is most important to you, when possible. In our experience, parties who reach their own agreement, compared to having a judge decide their family’s fate, are happier with the outcome. More these reasons, among others, we understand the value of a mediated agreement.
To learn more about mediation, visit our website, or contact us at (513) 793-7544 to speak with one of our mediators to discuss whether mediation is right for your family law matter.
