Family Law Mediation
by: Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA)
What is mediation?
Mediation is a way to solve your problems. Getting a
divorce or dealing with family issues can be hard. Mediation can help
solve your disagreement.
What happens in mediation?
You and the other person will meet with the mediator. You
will talk about your disagreement. The meetings will last about 90
minutes. Most people meet one to three times.
The mediator will help write an agreement. Mediators can
help people write a parenting plan or another agreement.
After the meetings each person can have an attorney look
at their agreement. Then it can be given to a judge for approval.
If you and the other person cannot solve any problems,
then mediation will stop. Then either person can file papers in court to
have the judge make the decisions.
What does a mediator do?
A person called a mediator runs the meeting. Mediators
help people figure out their problems. Mediators will help to build
better agreements, parenting plans and relationships.
The mediator keeps the meeting private. A mediator does
not take sides. Mediators are fair. Mediators help create agreements
that you can live with.
A mediator does NOT…
Testify in court.
Make decisions for you.
Blame anyone.
Pick a side.
Give legal advice.
Is mediation right for me?
Mediation might be right for you if you can say yes to
more than two questions below.)
1. Are both people willing to try mediation?
2. Do you and the other person want to make your own
decisions?
3. Will you and the other person sign the MLSA agreement
to mediate?
How much will it cost?
MLSA helps people of low income. If you qualify for
services, then mediation could be free.
Will I need an attorney?
No. Attorneys are not required.
Can I bring my attorney?
Yes. Your attorney can come to mediation if the other
person has their attorney come too.
MLSA may be able to provide an attorney for you. We can
only provide attorneys to low income clients. Our attorneys take on many
cases, so we can't promise one.
Need more information about family law mediation? Or want to become a
volunteer mediator?
Call our Helena office. If you are calling long distance
please dial 800-666-6124 extension 35. If you are calling from the
Helena area please call 406-442-9830 extension 35. MLSA mediation staff
will help you with questions or concerns.
Last Reviewed On: 07/23/08
Information Not Legal Advice. This web site has been prepared for general information purposes only. The information on this web site is not legal advice. Legal advice is dependent upon the specific circumstances of each situation. Also, the law may vary from State to State, so that some information in this web site may not be correct for your jurisdiction. Finally, the information contained in this web site is not guaranteed to be up to date. Therefore, the information contained in this web site cannot replace the advice of competent legal counsel licensed in your state.
Lawyer Advertising. In some jurisdictions this web site may be considered lawyer advertising. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements.
Any listing of an attorney does not constitute a recommendation of the attorney. Before hiring any attorney, you should investigate the attorney''s reputation and qualifications.
Links. This web site contains links to other resources on the Internet. Those links are provided as citations and aids to help you identify and locate other Internet resources that may be of interest, and are not intended to state or imply that we sponsor or are affiliated or associated with the persons or entities who created such site, nor are the links intended to state or imply that we are legally authorized to use any trade name, registered trademark, logo, legal or official seal, or copyrighted symbol that may be reflected in the links.
E-mail. Viewing this Web site , or transmitting an e-mail message through this Web site, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Sending e-mail to an attorney mentioned in this site does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and the attorney. Unless you are already a client of the attorney, your e-mail may NOT be protected by the attorney-client privilege. Moreover, unless it is encrypted, e-mail can be intercepted by persons other than the recipient. Deadlines are extremely important in most legal matters. You may lose important legal rights if you do not hire an attorney immediately to advise you. Many people do not check their e-mail daily, and some attorneys do not respond to unsolicited e-mail from non-clients.
