MEDIATION

Family mediation is a method that allows members to work together to resolve a conflict without having to go to court. It is an opportunity to come to resolutions regarding divorce, assets, and child custody in a reasonable manner without litigation and a potentially lengthy court battle.

Seff & Capizzi Law Group Partner Anna-Maria Capizzi is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family mediator and has the ability to act as a third-party individual to look at a situation from a big-picture perspective and give an objective point of view. As someone from outside of the situation, she has the ability to provide another outlook without bias, and can provide safe ground to come to agreeable conclusions. The overall goal in mediation is to reach a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Mediation typically involves the preparation of your Divorce Settlement Agreement, and a Parenting Plan if there are minor children involved. It can also include the preparation of the rest of the court papers needed to file for divorce.

The cost for mediation is $250 per hour. While cases can be resolved in a one mediation session, it is common for parties to discuss the options that are available to reach a resolution, and come to a final agreement in a second session. If there are complicated issues to resolve, mediation may take more than two sessions.

To have a productive mediation session, it is recommended that you and your spouse gather bank account statements, retirement accounts and other assets, as well as statements for your and your spouse’s debts, such as credit card, loan, or mortgage statements. During mediation, the parties have to disclose to each other all financial assets and liabilities.  One way of doing this, is by listing all assets and liabilities in the Florida Family Law Financial Affidavit.  As a rule of thumb, all assets and liabilities acquired or incurred during the marriage are marital assets and liabilities, without regard to who has title to the asset or whose name is on the debt.  These assets and liabilities should equitably be divided between the spouses.  If you have minor children, it may be beneficial to think beforehand about a time-sharing schedule that could work for the family and the amount of child support that is needed to support the child.

Seff & Capizzi Law Group finds that mediation can be very beneficial for families that are ready to move on in their lives without a fight about the past. Our website features several resources outlining information about mediation:

• Benefits of Family Mediation
• Preparing for Mediation
• Setting Boundaries Through Mediation
• Importance of Child Custody Mediation

Seff & Capizzi Law Group offers a free initial consultation to review the circumstances of your case and give you the personal attention that you deserve. Alleviate your stress by having our team handle the paperwork and ensure your rights are being protected. We look forward to hearing from you.