Mediation
Mayer & Glassman Law Corporation offers assistance through mediation to clients throughout California. Mediation is a form of consensual dispute resolution allowing parties to make their own decisions and discover a workable solution to every issue at play in a family law or other dispute.
Benefits of Mediation vs. Litigation
For many reasons, our clients are increasingly rejecting traditional courtroom proceedings in favor of mediation. The substantial benefits of mediation as compared to litigation include:
- Expenses are typically a fraction of trial preparation and trial costs
- There is more flexibility in scheduling mediation sessions around the parties' prior obligations, including work schedules, child care needs, and other appointments
- Mediation is less time consuming than a court trial or arbitration proceedings
- Proceedings are less formal and more tailored to the parties' needs
- The process is voluntary and there are no judge-imposed decisions
- Mediation is private and usually confidential
The Mediation Process
In a typical mediation session, the parties come together voluntarily to find an effective resolution to their differences outside of the courtroom. There is no judge present to impose a decision; instead, the parties choose and agree to a skilled mediator who serves as a neutral third party, facilitating communication and guiding the parties to a resolution by asking the right questions and identifying the overt and underlying issues needing to be addressed.
During the mediation, each side trusts the mediator with confidential information. The mediator facilitates negotiations by conducting either or both joint discussions and private "caucuses"; by understanding the needs and interests of each party the mediator facilitates resolution.
Family Mediations
Opting for mediation can be especially helpful in divorces and other family law cases when children are involved. Litigation is by nature a combative process, and parents who litigate against one another may find it difficult, if not impossible, to communicate afterwards. In mediation, the third party neutral facilitates cooperation between the spouses, guiding them towards a self-determined outcome. Spouses learn to communicate with one another, hopefully setting a precedent for amicable resolutions to any future disputes.
Medicollab®
Medicollab® is an innovative dispute resolution method created by firm co-founder Frederick Glassman. Combining the best aspects of mediation and collaborative law, Medicollab® tailors the process to the specific needs of the individual parties and redefines the role of the mediator. A Medicollab® mediator can act as neutral facilitator with each party being represented by their own consulting attorneys, or the mediator can be a case-manager and "tie-breaker" while the collaborative attorneys facilitate discussions. This merger of two successful alternative forms of dispute resolution can help parties to a dispute obtain a mutually favorable result.
Seek Experienced Mediators
Firm partners and trained mediators Robert Mayer and Frederick J. Glassman have the skills and experience to facilitate successful communication and achieve satisfactory resolutions of even the most contentious disputes. Mr. Mayer conducts classes for accountants and others wanting to become mediators, while Mr. Glassman has written and lectured extensively about how to be an effective family law mediator for numerous local and national legal industry organizations and associations.
Mayer & Glassman represents clients in mediation, collaborative law, and Medicollab®, with an emphasis on business, real state, and family law disputes. To find out how we can become your advocate, contact us today.
