What are the alternatives to family mediation?
Aside from mediation, there is a great range of methods to resolve family disputes. Parties may wish to negotiate directly or with lawyers. They may make use of Collaborative Practice (also known as Collaborative Law), in which there is a series of face-to-face meetings with the parties and their collaboratively trained attorneys and other Collaborative professionals. In Collaborative Practice, the participants have pledged not to embark on litigation with these lawyers. This creates a safe haven where communication can be free and open, and issues resolved. Where there are disputes about legal issues, case evaluation or conciliation can be helpful. Parties and their lawyers submit a set of agreed facts to a case evaluator (usually a retired judge or an experienced attorney), who renders a “finding” as to the issue in dispute. If the matter is not an issue relating to children or spousal support, arbitration is an out-of court method for resolving disputes. The parties choose an arbitr
