Hello and welcome to our show 60 Seconds with Sergio.
I am your host, Sergio Cabanas, Attorney-at-Law here in Florida.
Thank you for joining me today.
Today’s question is: “Sergio, what exactly is a mediation and how does it work in a divorce case in Florida?”
Well, a mediation is basically a meeting or a conference, where the parties that are involved in a legal dispute get together along with their attorneys, if any, and they meet with an independent and impartial person that’s known as a mediator.
The mediator will discuss the ways in which the case can be settled out of court, without any further litigation.
Ideally, this mediator should be trained, certified or experienced in Family Law.
They’re usually experienced attorneys or retired judges who are knowledgeable about Florida Family Law.
How does this process work? Well, the mediator will meet with each party to discuss the facts and issues of the case.
Usually separately and then continually exchange ideas for settlement and exchange offers and counteroffers between the parties to try to help everybody settle the case.
As a participant in a mediation process you should free to express your thoughts with the mediator as much as you like, depending on the advice provided by your attorney if you have an attorney with you at the mediation.
There are laws that protect the confidentiality of communications that take place in a mediation so that everybody feels free about discussing ideas and offers for settlement and make offers without being concerned about the other party using that information against anyone in court.
If you’re interested in learning more about the actual process for mediation, I posted another video that explains the process in more detail as well as another video which explains the possible outcomes from a mediation in a Family Law case.
I hope this short video provided you with at least some general guidance about the mediation process.
Thank you again for joining me today.
And as always: Stay informed so you can stay strong.
