What is Mediation?

Mediation is a wonderful tool to help resolve conflict, ranging from divorce and family disputes to civil and contract disputes.

When parties are unable to come to an agreement between themselves but would like to resolve their conflict without the emotional, time-consuming, and expense associated with court, mediation is an excellent choice. Mediation can help parties resolve a wide range of disputes. In a divorce, a mediator can help the parties resolve timesharing, division of the marital estate, and support disputes. In a civil case, a mediator can help the parties resolve broken contracts, business, and other disputes.

Mediation is a negotiation between two or more parties facilitated by a neutral third-party (the mediator). In mediation, a trained mediator helps the parties to work together to create a resolution. Mediators encourage parties to share information about their respective positions, encourage the parties to listen to the other party’s perspective, and explore innovative ways for the parties to come together to try to reach an agreement.  Skilled mediators are able to lower the emotional temperature, help the parties communicate more effectively, uncover true interests of the parties, offer possibilities for movement, and suggest solutions that the parties might have overlooked. Mediators do not make the decisions in mediation. Instead, mediators use communication skills to creatively help the parties reach a voluntarily resolution.

Elizabeth M. Edwards, Esq., is a Florida Supreme Court Certified County, Circuit Civil, and Family Mediator with experience mediating complex family and civil matters. Contact her to schedule your next mediation.