Court-Ordered Mediation: What to Expect Now
Video Transcript
Court-ordered divorce mediation is a judge-mandated settlement process where spouses meet with a neutral mediator—often for one or more sessions—to resolve custody, support, and property issues before trial. It’s typically faster and less expensive than litigating every dispute, while keeping decisions in the parties’ hands rather than the court’s. This article explains when mediation is required, how sessions work, what to expect and prepare, costs and confidentiality rules, and what happens if you reach—or don’t reach—an agreement.
Bill Leininger – Divorce Mediation Attorney – Richmond County, NY
But at that point, if the judge feels, after talking to the lawyers, that the case is ripe for divorce mediation, he or she may order the parties to meet with a mediator. And then the only thing that the judge is told at the end of that, the judge gets a little note, and it says it’s re: Schwartz against Schwartz, and it says the mediator reports as follows:
The case has been settled, parties refused to attend, or the case, we attempted mediation but was unsuccessful.
The judge is not told.