How We Work
I work with the parties to resolve their conflict before or after they have gone into court.
Consistent with mediation principles, I remain neutral as to how you and the other party wish to resolve the conflict. You and the other party have complete control as to whether you will reach a partial or complete agreement, and how you will do that. I help you explore solutions and what their impact may be on you or others involved (such as children). You can have as much detail or as little as each of you feel comfortable with and are willing to agree to.
All discussions in the mediation are confidential; this is a basic and extremely important component of the mediation process.
Expected Results:
In cases involving questions of child support and visitation, whether in paternity or divorce cases, I help you compute the child support according to the Florida Child Support Guidelines. If time-sharing (visitation) is an issue, I will help you and the other parent come up with a schedule that takes into consideration the needs of your child or children, and that each of you can agree you can live with or abide by.
If you're married and you don't have children but do have property, I help both of you consider alternatives as to who gets what or how much.
If you have children and are already divorced but need to change the time-sharing and are having a difficult time doing that, I help you come up with alternatives for a new time-scharing schedule. If the child support is to be re-calculated as a result of the change, then I also help you with that.
In all cases, when you reach an agreement with the other party through the mediation process, I reduce that agreement to writing.
Guiding Beliefs or Values
My approach to mediation is simple and in keeping with the principles of mediation. The purpose of mediation is to give the parties to a conflict control of how they want to resolve their conflict. The ultimate resolution of your conflict will be your choice, I do not---and cannot---make decisions for the parties. After all, you are the ones that will have to live with an agreement long after I'm out of the picture.
I believe that just about any conflict can be resolved peacefully if the parties are willing to communicate respectfully about their concerns, and are willilng to work to look for solutions that will address each parties concern in resolving a conflict. This is especially true if they view the issue or conflict as the true "opponent" and not the other party in the conflict.
My Approach to Mediation for Parties UN-Represented by Attorneys (Pro Se)
For parties unrepresented by an attorney who wish to use mediation to resolve their conflict, I schedule an introductory and goal setting session. This first or introductory session has several purposes including:
to help all of us to get acquainted with each other,
provide more in-depth information on mediation,
establish principles for effective communication,
collect information regarding the issues or conflict, and
establish a step-by-step agenda for the next session, if applicable.
Please note that this introductory session is different from an informational telephone session. The informational telephone session is a 15-minute, free telephone call for you and the other party to determine if mediation may work for you. The first mediation session takes place after you have decided to mediate your conflict.
Subsequent sessions will be scheduled according to the time frame each party requires to collect information for the following sessions, etc., and according to the goals and objective they wish to achieve for the next session.
In some instances, the parties may wish to schedule a telephonic mediation session. To accomplish this, I provide a bridge line for access by each party at an appointed time. All the confidentiality rules apply to telephonic mediation sessions.
I will work with the parties so long as they think progress towards an agreement is possible. It is your mediation, you control whether you want to keep working to reach an agreement.
Mediation for Parties Represented by Attorneys
I approach mediation with represented parties the same way as I do all other mediations. However, because such mediations are usually scheduled according to the schedule of the attorneys, the parties and myself, the mediation session may last all day or half a day. Depending on a few other factors, the mediation may continue through subsequent sessions. Settling a matter in one mediation session is often made possible because the work to prepare for mediation is usually done before by the parties with the attorneys.
If you would like to suggest me as a mediator in your family dispute, please contact you attorney and provide him my information or direct them to this site.
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