At Vahey Law & Mediation, LLC, we focus on providing compassionate and effective family law services, with a strong focus on mediation. With all areas of family law, we strive to deliver comprehensive, strategic, and caring legal support to families. We have served families in a range of family law cases, and our team has the experience to adapt our guidance to meet the individual needs of our clients.
Regardless of the situation you find yourself in, whether an amicable divorce or a conflict over your child’s guardianship, we want to support you. You deserve to partner with someone who not only understands litigation and the court systems but works for the good of your family.
Mediation involves bringing in a trained professional to serve as a neutral party in discussions. Courts often prefer individuals and families to work with a mediator, as it can help create civil discussions as well as faster and more satisfactory resolutions.
For many people, working with a neutral mediator is helpful, as family law matters can cause emotions to run high. A mediator can help balance conversations where one party is prone to dominating the conversation. This can lead to fairer settlements while saving time and money that might be spent in the court system. Mediation can also prevent extra emotional trauma, which is especially important when children are involved.
As with any process, there are essential steps that will take place, regardless of your specific situation. When working with a mediation lawyer, you can generally expect them to:
Family law cases take an emotional toll on all involved. This is especially true when a family law case, such as a divorce, goes to court and privacy is lost. It can be difficult to have a judge be the one making decisions for your family.
Working with a Naperville mediation lawyer can help prevent the need for a public trial and for a judge to pass down a decision regarding your family affairs. It can help keep negative feelings and relational injury to a minimum if all parties are willing to work with a mediator. Overall, working with a law firm that provides mediation services can save you time, money, and stress.
While divorce cases may be the situation that most people think of when mediation is brought up, there are a plethora of situations that benefit from having a mediation lawyer involved. Any case where two or more parties are struggling to reach a compromise and want a third party to facilitate negotiations can benefit from mediation. This includes, but is not limited to:
Mediation in Illinois is not legally binding. If you and your family agree to work with a mediation lawyer but find that you cannot reach an agreement, you are not bound by the discussions or settlements created in mediation. If, during your mediation, you created a legally binding document that both parties signed, however, then that document would remain legally binding.
While mediation and arbitration are similar, they are still two distinct terms with separate standards and implications. The two key differences between mediation and arbitration are whether they are considered legally binding and the differences in the judging factor.
Although mediation is not legally binding, arbitration can be binding if the parties involved want it to be. If arbitration is chosen to be legally binding, then breaking or going against the agreement created in arbitration may have legal repercussions.
The judging factor is the difference between how a mediator versus an arbitrator uses their own judgment and opinions during the process. A mediator is required to remain a neutral third party who helps the other parties reach an agreement or compromise for themselves. A mediator does not weigh in on the agreement or settlement. An arbitrator, on the other hand, can use their discretion and decision-making to create an agreement. The result is that an arbitrator functions more like a judge than a mediator.
As with most legal services, the cost will reflect the complexity of the legal case. Particularly if there are numerous documents or a lot of background reading involved to understand the case, a mediator will charge more.
Mediation lawyers typically charge an hourly rate of anywhere from $100 to $500+. Seasoned lawyers with strong backgrounds in mediation will understandably often charge more than their less experienced counterparts. While the upfront charges may be more for an experienced lawyer, the outcome will often lead to a more favorable result for their clients.
Family law issues can feel overwhelming, especially when your relationships and future depend on the outcome. If you are looking for mediation support as you move forward in trying to reach a settlement or agreement, then Vahey Law & Mediation, LLC, wants to be there for you.
Whether you have further questions about how our mediation services can support you or you have made your decision to move ahead with mediation and want to know the next step, please do not hesitate to reach out to us today.
