Columbus Mediation Attorneys
For couples who have decided to end their marriage in a fair and reasonable manner, divorce mediation can save time and money, reduce stress and provide other benefits.
The Mediation Process
With divorce mediation, the parties jointly meet with a mediator. At the Dougherty, Hanneman & Snedaker, LLC (“DHS”) law firm, the mediator is an experienced divorce lawyer who gives the parties relevant information about the law and legal procedures. The mediator does not give legal advice. The parties and the mediator discuss issues and attempt to reach an agreement on all issues without litigation.
Save Time and Money
If both parties desire to reach a fair agreement, mediation may save significant time and money, because it is usually less expensive to pay one mediator than two lawyers. Negotiation and litigation can be especially inefficient compared with mediation.
With negotiation, a proposal goes from the first client to the first lawyer, to the second lawyer, and finally to the second client. A response to the proposal is conveyed in the same inefficient manner.
With litigation, the process is even less efficient. After a lawsuit is filed, the court requires the parties to perform various lengthy and costly tasks that do little to help the parties reach an agreement.
The mediation process allows parties to save time and money in reaching a fair agreement by efficiently providing legal information, allowing direct communication, and avoiding unnecessary tasks.
Reduce Stress
Mediation can decrease present and future stress. Mediation reduces stress now by using a different process to resolve issues. With mediation, the parties work together to resolve their issues. In contrast, in negotiation and litigation, the parties fight against each other.
Mediation reduces stress in the future by avoiding court hearings and trials. Hearings and trials are usually hostile and emotional. Each party is forced to say that the other party is wrong or lying about an issue. After a hard fought trial, it is difficult for the parties to have a good relationship. Too much damage has been done.
Increase Privacy
Mediation allows parties to keep private matters confidential. Mediation sessions occur in the law firm’s private offices. No spectators or reporters are present at mediation sessions.
On the contrary, court hearings and trials occur in a public courtroom. Spectators, including family, friends, neighbors, and reporters are frequently present.
Improve Communication Skills
Mediation teaches parties how to resolve problems. In mediation, the parties learn how to:
- Identify a problem
- Generate possible solutions
- Discuss advantages and disadvantages of each solution
- Select the best solution for both parties
Negotiation and litigation do not teach parties how to resolve problems. Generally, with negotiation, each party vigorously takes a position and fights for his or her position. This process does nothing to help parties resolve problems in the future.
Role of Lawyers
While the DHS law firm mediator is an experienced divorce lawyer, he cannot give legal advice to one or both parties. In mediation, a party can use a lawyer or not. The decision is up to each party.
Frequently, after a tentative agreement is reached through mediation, a party will consult with a lawyer to ensure that the agreement is in the party’s best interest. This approach allows a party to obtain individual legal advice while minimizing lawyer fees and expenses.
Success Stories
The DHS law firm attorneys have produced successful outcomes for many family law clients. Please click here to read about success stories that reflect various family law issues. Perhaps you will see your marital issues reflected in one or more of these brief stories.
Contact Us
Please contact DHS for a confidential consultation with Attorneys Dougherty, Hanneman or Snedaker. Each is an Ohio State Bar Association Certified Specialist in Family Relations Law, and they are three of only 106 attorneys in Ohio who have earned this designation as of January 1, 2010.
The law firm is located in a safe, convenient northwest Columbus suburb with free on-site parking. The offices are in a classic redbrick building next to Bravo! Cucina Italiana restaurant on Hayden Road, near the corner of Sawmill Road and Bethel Road, and east of Riverside Drive (state Route 33).
