Tampa Mediation Attorney
Alternative Dispute Resolution
At All Family Law Group, P.A., we employ Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediators to mediate agreements between our clients and his or her spouse or other party, especially if the case involves the highly contested divorce issues of alimony, attorney fees, equitable distribution as well as children issues. Contact our experienced and knowledgeable Tampa family law attorneys today. We can help in amicably resolving the issues confronting you in your divorce or other family law action.
Mediation is required in Hillsborough County and other Florida counties in a contested action prior to the judge hearing the case, unless there is an emergency situation which requires an immediate decision by the judge. Generally, mediation occurs approximately two to three months following the filing of a divorce or family law case. All of the requested financial information and documentation and completed forms such as a Financial Affidavit, must be provided prior to mediation. A family law case which requires mediation is a paternity action, where the parents are unmarried and who want to establish the paternity of the father, time-sharing (custody and visitation) of the child and child support.
Mediation is a form of dispute resolution which allows the parties involved to resolve their case in a manner that is best for them, or at least they have a say in how their case is resolved. Whereas if the case goes before the court, then the judge will decide the outcome of the case. Coming to a settlement does not mean that each party will get everything that party wants. Compromise is key to successful resolution. Usually both parties wrongly feel that the other party “got everything he or she wanted.”
In mediation, attorneys and their clients will usually meet with the mediator who explains the process. Then each party and his or her attorney move into separate rooms. The mediator will go between the parties and attempt to come to a resolution of all issues involved. For example, in a divorce case the issues may be child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support (alimony), the division of retirement benefits and other property, etc.
There are two ways to mediate your case: private and through the county. In cases which are not complex such as a paternity action where the only issues to be determined concern child custody, visitation and time-sharing, then county mediation can be very beneficial. It is less expensive for county mediation; however, the amount of time to mediate your case is limited to approximately two and a half hours. Furthermore, the agreement is handwritten and fill in the blank. The mediation is not in depth. If you have issues such as retirement accounts, significant assets and debt, alimony, etc. then it is best to spend more money for a private mediation and obtain an individualized and specific, typed agreement. We work with several certified family law mediators in the Tampa Bay area who are excellent at preparing and negotiating agreements.
Contact Our Tampa Mediation Attorneys
For answers to your questions about resolving your divorce and family law issues in mediation, contact by e-mail or call 813-672-1900 the Tampa family law attorney team at the law office of All Family Law Group. We provide a free initial consultation, accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express, etc. and charge reasonable and competitive rates. Furthermore, we conveniently have offices throughout Tampa Bay. We will respond to you at our earliest opportunity!
