Best Family Law Attorneys in Hamden, CT

Fantastic! The first thing that we will do in mediation is to identify what you already agree on. We will use those points of agreement as a foundation for your overall agreement. Sometimes, the concepts that make sense to you on certain easy issues can be applied to resolve other issues as well. We will want to be sure that your agreement is well informed and that you are aware of the many issues that you may want to consider. What is included in your final agreement is up to you. My goal is to support your well informed decision-making.

That depends entirely on you. Generally, the mediation success rate is approximately 90 percent. This high success rate is due in most part to the efforts of highly motivated individuals who are eager to control their own destiny by reaching a mutually satisfactory agreement.

In mediation, all discussions and materials, with very few exceptions, are strictly confidential. Connecticut law provides that if no mediated agreement is reached, evidence of mediation discussions, mediation materials and any draft mediation resolutions will not be admissible in any court or other adversarial proceeding. In other words, your dispute can proceed with litigation as though the mediation never took place.

In some mediation discussions, attorneys are present and represent the parties. In other mediation discussions, attorneys are not present, but are available as an outside resource for consultation. The participants need to decide how actively involved, if at all, they would like legal counsel to be. As a mediator, I am ethically bound, at a minimum, to advise you to have any mediated settlement agreement reviewed by your own individual legal counsel prior to your signing that agreement. In practice, I have found that it works best for mediating parties to obtain legal advice throughout the mediation process. This legal advice may be best obtained early in the mediation, by legal counsels review of a near final draft agreement, and by counsels review of the final agreement. This minimum level of consultation will, I suggest, dramatically elevate your comfort and confidence in the final agreement.

It may make sense, in a particular case, for mediation participants to retain mutually trusted experts. For example, participants may desire a trusted valuation of real property, personal property or a business. It is also not uncommon for mediating parties to choose to jointly consult with an accountant or tax expert. Mediation participants with parenting concerns may find it beneficial to obtain the thoughts and recommendations of a trusted child psychologist.