Mediation lawyers

[hubby]

Anyone know of any good one's in Ottawa? Does OD handle Mediation ... Jeff?

Is it really beneficial

Hubby?

[Lindsay]

Hi hubby,

Unfortunately, we do not offer mediation services. A great place to start would be with MDR Associates Conflict Resolution Inc. at (613) 230-8671. I find their mediators great to work with and I believe their prices are quite reasonable.

Mediation is absolutely beneficial. It is much less costly that negotiating through lawyers and allows the parties to work things out while at the same time have someone present to make sure that everyone stays focused on the topic at hand. Mediation is also advantageous in that the more the parties are able to adjust to commuciating with each other post-separation, the better their relationship will be in the long-run, which is especially key when there are children involved.

Lindsay

[Grace]

I'd also look into Collaborative Law.

[ladyluck]

Just wondering, what kind of costs would these services incur?
Are these firms rather expensive?

[Grace]

I tried mediation. We used a family law lawyer from another firm, who had mediation experience. It cost $2,500. we each split the cost. We also each had our own lawyers with us. It wasn't what I thought it would be. First we all sat together and agreed what the issues were, then they separated us and the lawyers and mediator went back and forth try to work out an agreement. It lasted about 4 hours. No agreement was reached so we now use the court system.

This was over 2 years ago, and looking back now, especially over the legal fees involved not to mention the stress of litigation I wished that mediation would have worked.

[Lindsay]

That's too bad things didn't work out with your mediation Grace.

It's true, mediation is not always the cheapest way to resolve issues, but it really depends on the situation. Counsel-assisted mediation will of course be more expensive, and costs will go up if there are a lot of issues that the parties can't seem to come to an agreement on, resulting in mediation being drawn out.

In situations where the parties are on the same page, however, and only have a few details to work out, mediation is a great way to go. Even if there are a lot of issues to work out, so long as the parties go into mediation with an open mind and the intention to try and work everything out, mediation is still a good approach.

So it's really impossible to say how much mediation will cost you. The longer it takes to mediate, the more you will have to pay. But, if the end result is getting everything resolved, you will be saving yourself a bundle in the long run.

I personally do not work in collaberative law, but think it's a great option. It allows parties who each have full intention to settle matters as amicably as possible to do so while having the expertise of a lawyer througout their case. As far as costs ladyluck, that's something you may want to speak with a collaberative lawyer about. I'm sure you would be able to get some kind of ballpark figure.

Lindsay

[Grace]

If I knew then, what I know now, I would have taking the offer in mediation. It seemed back then to be unfair, but after another 2 years of legal fees, I think I would have been better off, both financially & emotionally.

[polar]

I tried mediation. We used a family law lawyer from another firm, who had mediation experience. It cost $2,500. we each split the cost. We also each had our own lawyers with us. It wasn't what I thought it would be. First we all sat together and agreed what the issues were, then they separated us and the lawyers and mediator went back and forth try to work out an agreement. It lasted about 4 hours. No agreement was reached so we now use the court system.

This was over 2 years ago, and looking back now, especially over the legal fees involved not to mention the stress of litigation I wished that mediation would have worked.

$2500 is a huge amount of money?

So I assume you do not recommend using mediation at all?
It must have put a large dent in your pocket.

[Grace]

Actually, I do recommend mediation. I wish now that I had taken "the deal", at mediation, at the time my lawyers advised me not too, saying I'd would do better in court. That was 2 years ago, and considering the legal fees over the past two years, I now believe I would have been better off taking the "lessor deal", at mediation.

[Jeff]

$2500 is a huge amount of money?

So I assume you do not recommend using mediation at all?
It must have put a large dent in your pocket.

Unfortunately, $2500 isn't a lot of money if you are in court. One court appearance can easily cost significantly more than that. And there will be several court appearances to resolve your case.

That's the big advantage of mediation - there's a huge costs savings. Even if it's not successful, often you can settle some of the issues, or at least narrow down the outstanding issues.

I'd say that in most cases, people should try mediation before going to court. (There are obvious exceptions, such as high conflict cases or cases where there has been domestic violence). The benefits are so great if mediation succeeds that it's normally worth it.

[Jeff]

Just wondering, what kind of costs would these services incur?
Are these firms rather expensive?

Mediators are usually a bit cheaper than lawyers. And the costs are normally shared equally by each spouse.

Also, I believe that most if not all courts in Ontario and some other provinces have subsidized mediation available.

[Grace]

That would also depend on if you chose to go through the mediation process without each having their own legal council present. Normally the mediator's fee is shared by both parties. If you have your own lawyer's present, they will also be charging their hourly fee.