How does mediation or alternate dispute resolution affect family law cases?
Mediation or alternate dispute resolution begins after a suit for divorce or modification has been filed. Over the years, mediation has proven to settle a large percentage of cases and has generally resulted in saving money, time and emotional distress for the parties. In Montgomery County and Harris County and generally in the counties in the Houston area, the courts require that the parties and their attorneys spend time and money trying to settle the case through mediation, and sometimes some other forms of alternate dispute resolution. The parties and their attorneys will be ordered to agree on a person or service to mediate the case and pay the fee for that service, which is usually set on a sliding scale. There will be a date and place set and both sides will sit down with a mediator to state their side of the case and then try to settle the case rather than spending the time, money and emotion that trying the case for an extended period of time will require. If an agreement is r
