Mediation

Mediation Lawyer for Colleyville, TX

Mediating Family Law Issues in Grapevine & Tarrant County

Everyone knows that litigation can be costly, time-consuming, emotionally draining, and often psychologically destructive to the parties involved. In family law, it puts sensitive and personal issues on display in a public forum. These are issues can have a long-lasting and profound impact on the lives of spouses, parents, and children. They involve child custody, the disentanglement of finances, entire households, and other emotional attachments. If you opt for the divorce litigation process, these intensely private matters will be left up to a judge to decide in an inherently adversarial setting.

Mediation is a more compassionate approach to resolve family law disputes outside courtroom. At the Law Offices of Kate Smith, PLLC, you can work with a Texas Board-Certified family law attorney who has also been trained in mediation. Attorney Kate Smith received her LL.M (Master of Law), which is a specialized law degree beyond a Juris Doctor, from Pepperdine School of Law in 2008. She has years of experience acting as a mediator between disputing parties throughout the communities surrounding Colleyville. As a highly-trained and seasoned divorce lawyer, she has the qualifications needed to help you and your spouse or other disputing party reach a mutually-acceptable agreement.

Need help resolving a divorce or other family law dispute outside the courtroom? Call the Law Offices of Kate Smith, PLLC at 817-479-0534 to arrange for an initial consultation with our Colleyville mediation attorney.

Mediation in Divorce & Family Law Disputes

Disagreements are common between parties involved in divorce and its attendant issues, such as:

• Child custody and visitation
• Child support
• Alimony
• The division of marital property and debt
• Any other issues that need resolution

Coming to terms with these complex matters can take a considerable amount time, effort, positive communication, and a willingness to cooperate. The process of mediation can facilitate negotiation between parties to keep it on track and moving towards a mutually-acceptable resolution. Mediation is a less invasive, less costly, and more cooperative way to achieve a resolution with your spouse rather than leaving it up to a judge’s discretion.

In mediation, your trained mediator will assist the negotiation process by using techniques that will enhance positive communication and problem-solving. A mediation session is generally attended only by the mediator, the disputing parties, and their attorneys. It is voluntary and usually non-binding in an informal and neutral setting. The mediator does not make decisions for you but helps you identify the barriers you and your opponent face. A mediator’s job is to develop methods and strategies for the overcoming of obstacles so that an agreement can be reached.

After an introductory meeting in which protocol for the sessions will be established, mediation generally takes several steps from defining the problem between the parties to creative bargaining between them. A mediator may offer a potential settlement which the two parties can then discuss and modify as needed. A mediator may also meet with each party separately to discuss emotional reactions, fears, and anxieties as well as to devise solutions that may then be presented to the other side.

Overall, mediation is a much more efficient way to resolve family law disputes. Once an agreement has been reached, it can be submitted to the court for approval and finalization. At the Law Offices of Kate Smith, PLLC I am dedicated to providing you with the highest level of support for all of your mediation issues.

Learn more about how I can help by contacting us at 817-479-0534.