California requires mediation for custody and visitation disputes. Many family lawyers and mental health professionals consider this to be the best thing to happen to family law in California since the introduction of no-fault divorce.
Mediation has many benefits to offer. For one, couples can exercise more control over what child custody and visitation will look like. With mediation, they have the power to choose what is best for their family. In addition, many couples that have success during the mandatory family law mediation process are willing to work with an independent mediator to handle the other issues in their divorce.
Most family law mediators hold licenses in clinical social work or marriage, family and child counseling. While anger and conflict are as present in mediation as they are in divorce cases handled in the courtroom, mediators are able to work with parties to help them focus on the welfare of the children. As a result, the parties are often able to come up with a written agreement in more than half of the cases. If the parties reach an agreement, the judicial officer signs the agreement and it becomes a court order.
Going into mediation can be painful for the parties. However, it is better than the other options available. The quality of service one can get in mediation and its effectiveness can usually ease the early inhibitions of those involved. If you are considering the services of a family law mediator for non-custody/visitation issues, consider consulting a family law attorney. Many are mediators, and all family law attorneys have connections to mediators.
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