Manassas Divorce Mediation Lawyer

Resolving Conflicts Out of Court

If you are getting divorced, there are alternatives to costly lawsuits and painful court battles. Mediation is a process where parties to a dispute attempt to reach their own agreement with the assistance of a facilitator. Many facilitators are not attorneys and can provide only limited legal information. An experienced family law attorney mediator can help people fashion solutions that are complete, workable and consistent with likely outcomes in court.

With more than 30 years experience, Robert H. Klima is a trained and experienced Virginia family law mediator. In this role, he is available to sit down with both parties and facilitate negotiations between them. When serving as a mediator, he is neutral, meaning that he does not advocate on behalf of either spouse. Rather, he helps the couple reach their own agreement on all divorce-related issues.

Mr. Klima has long been an advocate of mediation in cases where spouses are able to cooperate on most relevant issues. He has been recognized by the Judges of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court and the Prince William County Bar Association for his work in helping to establish the Conflict Resolution Office within the county court system. While mediation is not right for everyone, many couples can benefit from it in some way.

What Are the Advantages of Mediation?

Perhaps the greatest benefit of mediation is that it gives the parties control over their own outcome. Rather than having a judge impose orders on everything from child custody to property division, the couple themselves can reach their own agreement. Agreements that people enter into voluntarily leave them more satisfied with the outcome and are less likely to cause future conflicts.

Some of the other benefits of mediation compared to traditional litigation are:

• Less stress
• Less time-consuming and more convenient: you are not subject to the court's schedule and can schedule mediation sessions when they are convenient for you.
• Better for the children: it is always better for children if parents can reach a negotiated settlement and minimize the conflict to which the children are exposed.
• Affordability: mediation often requires less time and work by your attorney, which translates into more manageable legal fees when compared with the costs of litigation.

Virginia courts will often require both spouses to attend a mediation evaluation session in which the process is described and the option of proceeding with mediation is offered. The court cannot force a couple to engage in mediation, but many couples choose this option after learning more about it.

Not every case is suitable for mediation. The parties must be willing to listen to one another and sincerely want to reach an agreement. Mediation is never appropriate in cases where there is physical or emotional abuse.

Contact a Prince William County Family Mediation Attorney

To discuss whether mediation may be right for you and your spouse, call 703-361-5051 or toll free 800-747-8783. You can also contact him online