Family Mediation

Family mediation covers a variety of areas including divorce, paternity (i.e. custody between non-married parties), and elder care, to mention a few. Mediations can be held pre-suit (e.g. before a complaint for dissolution of marriage or determination of paternity has been filed), or they can be held during the court process. An offshoot of family mediation, dependency mediation, holds similarities and overlaps with family mediation. Similar to family mediation, issues such as where the child(ren) will stay and what child support should be paid are often discussed in dependency mediation. However, this type of mediation is done within the context of an action brought by a state agency against the caregiver(s). While the Pax Initiative offers pre-suit mediation for family mediation, there is no pre-suit option for dependency mediation. . 

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Key elements of mediation are that it is a voluntary and confidential process. In mediation, the parties drive the confidential negotiations, while the mediator facilitates the conversation. Another key tenet of mediation is that the mediator is neutral and cannot decide for the parties. The result of these elements is a forum where negotiations can flow without the fear of retaliation in the courtroom, and the parties can take ownership in the process as well as the solution. 

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Mediation fees are assessed hourly or daily.  Hourly fees start at a rate of $120 per hour, with a two-hour minimum. Daily fees begin at a rate of $600 per day. 

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