Whether a new divorce or a modification of existing court orders, cases involving children can be mediated at the Domestic Relations Office.  Attorney mediators and custody evaluators with advanced family mediation training are available to mediate conservatorship, access, child support and property issues in pending family law cases at no cost for both temporary and final orders. A binding mediated settlement agreement can eliminate the need for trial.

The Court may order mediation at the DRO, or the parties may simply agree to mediate. If an agreement is reached, parties may avoid a court trial.

This service is used early in contested custody/access cases to establish a temporary parenting plan when other methods take too long. Same-day services address issues quickly to give some certainty to the children and parties involved while litigation is pending. Sometimes these temporary arrangements work so well that they are adopted as final.

A Parent Conference is a joint meeting between parents and a specially trained facilitator to resolve conflict surrounding visitation/access issues. Focusing on communication, the facilitator reviews the court order with the parties, attempts to achieve compliance, and provides tools for better parent communication.

Three hours are allotted and the total cost is $50.00.

Call the Domestic Relations Office to inquire if this service is appropriate for your case.