Many couples avoid the cost and the time involved in divorce litigation by working with a trained family law mediator in Houston. Unlike your attorney, who has been hired by you to protect and defend your personal interests, the mediator is hired by both parties to help them facilitate a mutual agreement regarding any contested family law issues they may have. A mediator does not have to be a family law attorney, though some attorneys are also trained mediators. Rather, a mediator has been specifically trained in conflict resolution and agreement facilitation in order to assist opposing parties in reaching a resolution. A mediator will not take sides in an argument, nor can a mediator offer legal advice. A mediator can, however, tell you if something is permissible under the law or can present mutually beneficial options that neither party may have previously considered. If you and your partner can work together, a mediator can help to reduce the amount of time required for your case. Litigation can be a long, drawn out process, but if both parties can come to a mutual agreement, there is no need to await a date in a backed up courtroom docket. In addition, you and your partner get to set the dates and times for meeting with the mediator rather than being randomly assigned a court date. The mediator has been hired by the two of you, so you have much more control over what happens throughout the process. Even if both parties agree to mediation through a mediator, it does not mean that either has to forego having an attorney. In fact, many mediators will agree to meet with both parties plus their attorneys. Even if your mediator would prefer not to have your attorneys present, you can still have your attorney look over any agreements that you tentatively arrive upon before you formally agree to the resolutions and they become binding. In mediation, it is not as though someone gets to be the winner and the other ends up being the loser; rather, the mediator will work diligently to ensure a fair and equitable resolution. However, your attorney will still want to review the agreement to make sure that there is nothing potentially damaging to you that you may not have noticed. Working with a mediator in Houston will enable you and your partner to divide assets, meet financial responsibilities, and reach a custody agreement in ways that are beneficial and preferable to both of you, rather than you having to acquiesce to the decisions of a judge who does not know you or your situation. Your mediator in Houston will work to save you time and money and to assist you in resolving your family law disputes. Mediator Houston – Cothrun & Lucido Family Law Firm can serve as a mediator in Houston for all of your family law needs. Attorneys Sherri Cothrun and Rita Lucido have been devoted exclusively to the practice of family law since 1997 for Harris County residents, as well as residents of surrounding counties. Call 713.527.0511 or 713.228.2868 to schedule a consultation or visit http://www.cothrunlucido.com/index.html for more information.
