Mediation Monday: What is Mediation?

What exactly is mediation and how can it help you?

“Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution process where you and your partner meet with a mediator to resolve your legal issues without going to court.” (Steps to Justice)

A mediator is professionally trained to help you resolve your conflict without taking sides. “They help you and your partner during your negotiation to try and reach an agreement.” (Steps to Justice)

Mediation is an alternative to the use of a lawyer. Lawyers differ from mediators in that they provide independent legal advice, and are often more pricey.

So why go for a mediator. According to Steps to Justice, there are several reasons:

Reasons to mediate

Some of the reasons to use mediation are:

It can be faster than going to court once you have agreed on all of the process details and signed a mediation agreement.
It can be cheaper than going to court. In many cases, you can get free or subsidized mediation.
You get professional help to try and make an agreement.
Your mediator checks if mediation can be done fairly and safely.
The process is usually easier to start than going to court. You and your partner have to fill out an intake form. But this form asks for less information than the forms you fill in to start a family law court case.

Check out our mediation services if you have a workplace, family or personal dispute to settle. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions!