Pleasanton Mediation Attorney
Guiding Conflicting Spouses Toward a Favorable Solution
Mediation is a great option for spouses to resolve their conflicts without the hassle of court. With over a decade of professional experience guiding clients through family legal disputes, Ham Family Law, P.C. is intimately familiar with even the most adversarial disagreements. Our attorney believes firmly in helping spouses negotiate their disputes openly and transparently in mediation rather than in a tense court battle. She can provide compassionate and level-headed guidance to steer you and your spouse towards an actionable and favorable solution to disputes like child custody and property division. You might feel a lot more confident about your future when you’ve made the decision yourself.
Contact Ham Family Law, P.C. for more information on how we can help you mediate a resolution. Assisting clients in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
Family Law
What Is Mediation?
Individuals can pursue a range of dispute resolution methods to settle their legal disagreements, and mediation is one of the most common ones. In the context of family law issues, mediation is an informal and confidential process for spouses to negotiate an agreement on all their divorce disputes, such as:
- Child custody
- Child support
- Spousal Support & Alimony
- Asset and debt division
Mediation can occur over one or several sessions, and these sessions are facilitated by a neutral third-party mediator whose sole responsibility is to facilitate the discussion and steer spouses towards an agreement. The mediator does not have the legal authority to make decisions, and their ultimate role is to help keep the conversation relevant and productive. At the end of mediation, the mediator will also help to write up the final agreement, which the spouses will then submit to the court for approval.
Advantages and Benefits of Mediation
There are many reasons couples may elect to settle their disputes in mediation over other methods, such as a costly and emotionally intensive court battle. Some of the advantages and benefits of mediation are:
- Mediation is confidential. Trials are public records, so handling your divorce or other legal matter in mediation will keep your matter private to you and out of the public eye.
- Mediation allows for more transparent and open communication. Mediation sessions allow both spouses to raise any issues and concerns relevant to their disputes. Whereas trials have time limits and agendas, mediation sessions largely allow parties to discuss whatever they need to in order to brainstorm solutions.
- Spouses can develop problem-solving skills for the future. As the success of mediation rests on whether spouses can compromise and reach an agreement together, the parties may develop important conflict-resolution skills useful for the future. For instance, if the spouses intend to co-parent their children, it will be extremely useful to know how they can discuss and solve any disagreements that may arise.
- The spouses will maintain the most control and authority over the final decision. Everything established in the mediated agreement will be whatever the spouses agreed upon in their discussion. As a result, they will likely be more satisfied with the agreement they have created themselves, rather than being thrust an impersonal decision by a judge.
- Mediation is more cost-efficient. Spouses can save significant time and money by pursuing mediation. The process will limit the expenses of a lengthy court battle involving expensive attorney fees and court costs.
If you and your spouse are able to resolve your disputes in mediation, this dispute resolution method will be in your best interests. You will maintain the most control over your outcome, and you will also save significant time and emotional energy by avoiding a public, adversarial courtroom battle.
To learn more about whether mediation is right for you and what the process might look like for you, contact Ham Family Law, P.C. today.
Caroline is an amazing lawyer. She was well prepared for my case and was even complimented by the Judge on her preparation. Her professionalism and compassionate demeanor helped my family through a very emotional child surname change case.
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