Family Courts Encouraging Dispute Resolution — Mediation | Arbitration
Why More Family Lawyers Are Turning to Mediation and Arbitration:
Over the years, I’ve watched the legal landscape shift—subtly at first, then unmistakably. More and more family law lawyers are pivoting away from full-throttle litigation and turning to mediation and arbitration to resolve disputes. I’m not surprised. In fact, I’ve built my practice centered around collaborative and consensus built settlements since 2002.
Why the shift? Because the courtroom simply isn’t where most families belong.
A Growing Demand for Dignity and Peace
Family breakdown is already painful. Add litigation, and it often becomes traumatic and cost prohibitive. Clients crave a process that acknowledges the emotional weight of their situation—something more private, more dignified, and far less adversarial, timely and cost effective. Mediation offers that. Arbitration offers finality without the impersonal coldness and stress of a trial.
The parents I work with don’t want to destroy one another. They want clarity, fairness, and, most of all, peace and closure. Counsel know that when they send a client to me, they are sending them into a space where those values are honored.
Counsel Refer to Me Because I Understand the Realities on the Ground
My background in advocacy for best interest of children, combined with my role as a neutral, allows me to read the room quickly. I understand the legal issues, but I also see beneath them: the grief, the mistrust, the fatigue. I’ve been told that I bring calm to chaos—not by minimizing the conflict, but by managing it wisely.
Lawyers refer to me because I hold the legal frame and the human story at once. I don’t impose solutions. I listen deeply, ask the right questions, and guide people toward agreements they can live with—and uphold.
The Courts Are Encouraging ADR. The Wise Lawyers Are Embracing It
We all know the courts are overburdened. Trials are delayed, families are stuck in limbo, and judges often ask why a matter hasn’t yet gone to mediation. The best lawyers—the ones with foresight and a real interest in their clients’ wellbeing—are ahead of this curve. They know that early, thoughtful resolution isn’t a shortcut. It’s often the best-case scenario.
These are the lawyers who call me.
Resolution, Not Ruin
I believe deeply in resolution without ruin. In my practice, the goal isn’t to “win” in the traditional sense—it’s to reach an outcome that respects everyone’s humanity, protects the children, and leaves the door open for a better future.
That’s not always easy. But it is possible. And for more and more families, it’s the only way forward.
If you’re counsel reading this and wondering whether mediation or arbitration might be the right next step for your client, reach out. I’ll treat your referral with the same level of care, professionalism, and discretion that I would want for someone I love.
Because at the end of the day, this work isn’t just about law. It’s about meeting individuals and families in their most challenging times during separation and divorce.