Texas or Florida Family Law Mediation and ADR Lawyers
While the trend toward mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques is growing throughout all areas of civil litigation, family law is usually regarded as especially suitable for the compromise and settlement of disputes through mediation, arbitration, or collaborative law approaches. Many divorce clients find that they can achieve satisfactory results more quickly and less expensively through alternative dispute resolution. If you think that ADR might be right for you and your family, contact a family law attorney at Bertolino LLP in Austin or Houston for additional information.
In most Texas counties, the court can order mediation of a disputed child custody, alimony, or child support issue, or the parties can bring a motion or stipulation for mediation. At the present time, only Hays County requires that disagreements go to mediation before the Family Court will hear a motion to determine the matter.
In mediation, each party is represented by counsel, who presents the arguments in much the same way as they would at trial. The main difference is that the mediator has no authority to determine the issue in favor of one side or the other, but can only provide the parties with a sense of which argument is most persuasive. The main point of mediation is to help the parties identify the main interests and objective of each so that a settlement can be achieved that gives each what they absolutely need.
Collaborative law goes even further than mediation as an alternative to divorce litigation. In a collaborative law divorce, each party is represented by his or her own lawyer, but commits to resolving all issues through negotiation. An important feature of the commitment is the understanding that if the attempt to negotiate a comprehensive settlement is unsuccessful, each party will need to hire a new attorney to litigate disputed issues in Family Court. The additional expense involved in doing so provides a powerful incentive for both sides to compromise differences and reach an agreement.
At Bertolino LLP, we will carefully examine your situation to see whether your case might be suitable for mediation, collaborative law, or even community-based arbitration. To find out how ADR can help you, or if you need to find a mediator to serve as a neutral in your case, contact one of our family law mediation attorneys in either Austin or Houston or Miami.
Contact a Texas or Florida Mediation Lawyer at Bertolino LLP
Bertolino LLP maintains offices in Austin, Houston and Miami. To reach an attorney in the Austin office, call 512.476.5757. For the Houston office, call 713.225.7474. For the Miami office, call 305.493.3747. You may also contact the firm by e-mail.
