Facing a complicated family law matter in Columbus can be frustrating, anxiety-inducing, and upsetting for all parties, especially when a family law dispute may lead to tense dynamics between parents and children or spouses. Depending upon the circumstances of your family law case and the dispute at issue, family mediation may be able to provide you with immense benefits and may allow you to resolve the dispute without facing a contentious legal battle. The Ohio Uniform Mediation Act governs most family mediation sessions, and it is important for anyone dealing with a family law dispute to seek advice from a lawyer about the benefits of mediation. One of our Columbus family mediation attorneys can provide you with more information.
Mediation is Not an Adversarial Process
Many people benefit from mediation because it is not an adversarial process and can thereby help to reduce animosity between the parties. In mediation, a neutral third party known as a mediator helps to facilitate dialogue between the disputing parties but does not decide the case or issue an opinion. Instead, the parties can work out a resolution themselves through communication.
Mediation is Only Binding if Both Parties Agree
Mediation is only binding if both parties agree to the resolution. Otherwise, it is still possible to move forward with a court hearing to have a judge decide the family law dispute.
Mediation Saves You Time
Since mediation allows parties to resolve disputes without having to go to court in order to have a judge resolve the matter at issue, mediation tends to save the parties significant time. You will not need to wait for multiple hearings to be set on a court calendar, and the dispute can be resolved relatively quickly.
Mediation Can Save You Money
For many of the same reasons that mediation can save time, it can also save the parties money. Mediation tends to cost much less because the parties are not paying attorneys to prepare for court hearings and are not paying for court costs and other fees.
Mediation is Confidential and Private
While the information that comes up in a family court case can be public, any issues or facts that arise in mediation are confidential and private. As such, many parties prefer mediation because it allows them to resolve disputes without having to worry about others gaining information about their private lives.
Mediation Can Improve Communication Between the Parties
Given that the parties involved in a family mediation will need to communicate in order to compromise and resolve an existing dispute, the parties often improve their ability to communicate with one another during mediation and their communication skills more broadly. For parents involved in family mediation who share minor children from a relationship, the improved communication skills they develop in family mediation can improve their co-parenting in the months and years that follow.
Contact Our Columbus Family Mediation Lawyers
If you want to learn more about the benefits of family mediation or whether it could be the right choice for you, do not hesitate to get in touch with an experienced Columbus family mediation lawyer at our firm. Contact the Lawrence Law Office to learn more about the benefits of family mediation and how our attorneys can assist you.
