What Do the Three Cs of Mediation Mean to You?

In many St. Lucie County family law matters, both parties agree on broad principles, but they disagree on the specifics. For example, in a divorce case, Mom and Dad usually both think that the parenting time provisions should put the children’s needs first. But they disagree as to those needs. They may also have trouble distinguishing the needs of a child from the wants of a child, and the children’s needs from a parent’s needs.

These types of situations are tailor-made for professional mediators. These highly-skilled individuals know how to bridge the gap between broad principles and specific agreements. To do so, they often focus on the three Cs of mediation. As a result, if both parties participate with open minds, mediation is successful about 75 percent of the time.

Cost

It is very difficult to predict the cost of a marriage dissolution proceeding. There are so many variables and every case is different.

However, there is one certainty. Divorce is almost always more expensive than the parties thought it would be, from both a financial and emotional perspective. Financially, the longer the case lasts and the more complex it is, the more it costs. Emotionally, there is a price to pay as well. Instead of spending free time with family and friends, divorce litigants must often do divorce homework. Furthermore, instead of focusing on work or school, the divorce proceeding distracts them.

By cutting the proceeding short, mediation reduces both these kinds of costs. The Department of Justice estimates that, collectively, mediation saves litigants millions of dollars in legal fees. It reduces litigation time, and attorney preparation time, by thousands of hours every year. Since the case ends sooner, the litigants can get back to living life sooner.

Civility

A generation ago, divorce was usually a contentious process. The advent of no-fault divorce laws started changing that dynamic, and co-parenting laws completed this transformation. Today, the parents do not need to be friends after the divorce, but they do need to be civil toward one another, especially in front of the children.

Mediation lays the foundation for that kind of co-parenting. The parents learn to talk out their differences in a respectful manner. So, they can better solve problems that crop up later. If needed, they can enlist the help of another attorney mediator to iron out the details of any future settlement agreement.

Control

Trials are risky propositions. There is almost no way to predict how a judge will rule. Of course, judges must follow the law. But in many situations, Florida’s family laws are quite subjective. That’s especially true with regard to both alimony and child custody.

Mediation gives the litigants almost total control over the outcome. This control usually increases voluntary compliance, which means fewer motions to enforce and lower litigation costs.

The three Cs of mediation are not just individual factors. They all work together to bring about a positive result.

Reach Out to a Tenacious Lawyer

Successful mediation often sets the stage for successful co-parenting. For a free consultation with an experienced Port St. Lucie divorce attorney, contact Eighmie Law Firm, P.A. Convenient payment plans are available.

Resource:

justice.gov/olp/alternative-dispute-resolution-department-justice

https://www.eighmielawfirm.com/five-childrens-best-interest-factors-in-florida/