Family disputes are always a difficult situation. The Three Cs of Mediation can make this difficult time a little easier.
Cost
One of the reasons family disputes are difficult is that they are expensive. The average divorce in the United States costs a staggering $15,000. Your particular case may not be nearly that expensive, but it will almost certainly be more costly than you anticipated.
Mediation drastically reduces legal fees. Instead of spending days or weeks preparing for trial, most attorneys can prepare for mediation in only a few hours. Moreover, most mediations last only a few hours, as opposed to a trial that may last several days. Most attorneys in Humble charge by the hour, so the savings add up quickly.
Control
No one likes motions to enforce. After spending thousands of dollars and countless hours on a court case, the last thing the parties want to do is to see the same judge again.
Mediation cuts down on the financial and temporal costs of motions to enforce. Studies consistently show that the parties are more likely to adhere to a mediated settlement than one that is imposed by a judge. This effect is magnified if one, or more, parties is a control freak.
Civility
The courtroom showdowns in the movies are always very dramatic, but they rarely work that way in the real world. Even though most Harris County family law judges are used to parties wholose control of themselves emotionally, it’s not unusual for people to be found in contempt of court due to their outbursts. Sometimes, there is so much animosity in a divorce that the spouses have problems sitting in the same room for more than a few minutes, especially when the in-laws are in the gallery.
Most mediations take place in a very casual atmosphere, such as a conference room in an office building. That setting naturally reduces tensions. After the parties’ opening statements, they usually go to separate rooms while the mediator shuttles back and forth. With both parties in their respective corners, there is almost no confrontation.
Due to all the potential benefits, many judges may order the parties to mediation before setting a trial date. Even if there is no order in place, mediation is nearly always at least worth a try.