Mediation in the Pensacola-Milton Area
Most parties who think about divorce, have in mind a process where a Judge decides how their property will be divided, where the children will sleep at night and how much support will be paid. Most families would be better off making these types of decisions rather than an overworked Judge who is a stranger to your family. This is why Collaborative Family Law & Mediation, LLC. offers an alternative to litigation, including Collaborative Divorce and mediation which can be used in divorce, modifications and other family law matters.
Mediation can mean many things; from a one-meeting process to an integrated series of meetings to address all of your family’s needs.
Mediation is a method of resolving divorce disputes with the help of a neutral person. The mediator will not represent either you or your spouse individually. The mediator is committed to helping you reach agreements on your issues.
Mediation is a confidential process where, with a few exceptions, what is said in mediation stays in mediation, that is, it cannot be revealed to anybody else except your own attorney. It also cannot be used later in a court proceeding.
Being a very early proponent of mediation in Florida, John Susko has over 200 hours of mediation training and is a Florida Supreme Court approved Family Law Mediator.
John Susko can serve either as (i) a neutral mediator for both parties or (ii) an attorney representing one mediation party. John brings his extensive experience in both mediation and Collaborative Family Law, another form of private dispute resolution, to his mediation cases.
So, how many sessions does it take? The best method of mediation depends on you and the particular needs of your family.
One Mediation Session
This model has predominately been adopted in the Pensacola-Milton area. If you have relatively simple issues or if you have reached agreement on most issues, it is possible to get done in one session.
Sometimes these meetings last up to 8 hours or more. John Susko feels that this type of mediation is less than satisfactory due to the excess length of time for the parties under the stress of having to come to a resolution.
If the matter can be resolved in a 2-3 hour period, then the case immediately moves on to the drafting your final agreement in a format that the Court will approve.
Multiple-Session Mediations
Many mediations require more than one session. It may require between two to five sessions with the mediator.
You are trying to develop a life plan that truly works for many years into the future. Slowing down the process to get it right might be the greatest investment in your family’s history. Often those who have spent several sessions developing an agreement that really works, these parties are the most satisfied.