Domestic Family Mediation divorce conflict resolution dispute marriage stepfamily parenting children husband wife litigation counseling Fort Smith, Arkansas

Mediation is a way for two parties - they can be

• upset spouses,
• cranky ex-spouses,
• divorced parents,
• angry neighbors,
• frustrated parents and their teenaged kids,
• an employer and employee who are at odds,
• or any two "sides" who are mad at each other

- to resolve their differences without having to call in lawyers and fight it out in court. Basically, mediation is for anyone who finds themselves in a dispute they can't resolve themselves.

In mediation, a neutral third party (the mediator) meets with the opposing sides to help them find a mutually satisfactory solution. The mediator does not tell the disputants what they should think or agree to, he just keeps the process moving until both sides are satisfied with the solution. Then they can create a binding agreement that will help them settle their problems.

Unlike a judge in a courtroom or an arbitrator conducting a binding arbitration, the mediator has no power to impose a solution. No formal, legalistic rules of evidence or procedure control mediation; the mediator and the parties usually agree on their own informal ways to proceed, though there are general specific procedures that are followed to maintain order and to direct the process.

Here is a list of some of the most common issues that can be resolved peacefully and satisfactorily through mediation:

• Divorce
• Parenting Plan/Custody
• Child Support
• Spousal Support/Alimony
• Pre-Nuptial Agreements
• Business Disputes
• Eldercare Issues
• Neighborhood disputes

There are two basic distinctions, or kinds, of mediation: Legal mediation and Healing Mediation. Click here to read about the differences.

To read about how a mediator works to help disputants find a settlement, click here