If parents are in disagreement over child custody issues, a divorce in St. Mary’s County, MD, can become angry, emotional, overly stressful, and financially devastating as every small point is litigated before the Maryland divorce court. One possible road to avoid these serious negative consequences is to consider child custody mediation. In general, mediation involves hiring a neutral third party — often retired judges, trained academics, mental health professionals, senior attorneys, etc. — to hear the disputes, act as a “go-between” for communications, and recommend solutions. The hope is that, through mediation, the parents can reach agreement about custody issues. Mediation is conducted out of court, and if the parents can reach an agreement, that agreement will then be presented to the divorce court. If you have questions about Maryland child custody mediation, call us here at the Law Office of Robert Castro. Call us at (301) 870-1200 or use our contact page. We are a Child Custody Law firm in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, with offices in Waldorf. We can help evaluate whether child custody mediation would be worthwhile.

What is the process?

In broad terms, the process of mediation involves the parties choosing a neutral third party to be the “mediator.” Since the parties are paying for the mediator’s services, generally, only one mediator is chosen. There are various lists available from the court or from legal sources where mediators can be located. The parties evaluate various candidates by looking at their credentials, backgrounds, experience, etc. If the parties agree on one particular mediator, then the mediation begins. More often, the parties select three to five, and the mediator chosen the first one to appear on both lists.

After being chosen, the mediator usually requests copies of relevant documents and reports with respect to the child custody issues in dispute. These are reviewed, and then one (or more) mediation sessions are scheduled. These are out-of-court meetings held in a conference room or other location. The court is not involved.

The mediator will handle matters as he or she sees fit. But, often, a given mediation session will open with general comments from both sides. Usually, lawyers are present. Then, the mediator will meet with each side separately. This may happen several times as the mediator explores whether there are any grounds for compromise.

Court-ordered vs. voluntary

Maryland divorce courts will often order mediation. However, many parents going through a divorce will engage in mediation voluntarily.

Agreement not mandatory

Mediation, even court-ordered mediation, is intended to be non-formal and relatively stress-free. One aspect of mediation that helps achieve these purposes is the fact that the parties do NOT have to come to an agreement. There are no high-pressure tactics and no stern judge looking on. Agree or not. Mediation is supposed to help, and agreement is encouraged but is not required.

Contact Waldorf, Maryland Family Law and Child Custody Lawyer Robert Castro Today

This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland family law and divorce lawyer at (301) 870-1200. We are Waldorf, MD, Family Law lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD, 20601.