While the United States’ divorce rate has declined in recent years, around 40% of marriages still end in divorce. This experience is often one of the most challenging and traumatic events a person may ever go through, as various details of their personal lives are scrutinized. From the division of assets to child custody, divorces can quickly become contentious and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Sometimes, going to trial in a domestic or civil court is the only option. However, many cases can be settled by agreement with the assistance of a mediator.
At King Law, our firm offers affordable mediation services for domestic law and civil Superior Court matters. Our skilled legal team has been certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission as Certified Family Financial and Superior Court Mediators for several years. At King Law, our mediation attorneys have been practicing family law and civil litigation for their entire careers and are prepared to help you through this trying time.
How Does Civil Mediation Work in North Carolina?
Mediation is often used as a substitute for going to court. However, when a family decides to utilize mediation, a court order is not required to resolve family disputes, business conflicts, or contractual disagreements. Instead, parties can elect to have a private decision-making process in which an impartial facilitator agreed upon by both parties helps the family reach informed resolutions to issues arising from divorce, personal injury cases, or other disputes.
Topics that our experienced North Carolina mediation attorneys can handle in private mediation include:
- Parenting
- Child support
- Alimony
- Grandparent visitation
- The division of assets
- Allocation of debts
- Post-decree custody questions
- Personal injury cases
- Breach of contract
- Debt disputes
While a judge has the authority to order disputing parties to attend mediation, any agreements made during mediation must be made voluntarily. If the parties cannot reach an agreement, they will go back to court, where a judge will decide on their conflicts.
What Is a Mediator’s Role in North Carolina Family Law?
While a mediator facilitates contentious discussions on neutral ground, mediators do not make decisions. In divorce mediation, the mediator will have general knowledge of the former couple’s background and dissolution but will not speak on fault matters. The mediator’s primary obligation is making sure that decisions are made fairly. However, it is not the mediator’s responsibility to ensure that an agreement’s conditions are equal and fair. The mediator should conclude the mediation if the parties cannot have a moderately sensible debate for any reason.
The mediator will focus the conversation on preparing for the future while identifying the parties’ mutual interests. Mediation for child custody will focus on plans that will be the best for the children as well as the parents. Using financial data supplied by the parties, a knowledge base is created to decide the suitable arrangements for the division of assets and preparing for future support for the family, like funding for college and retirement.
What Are the Benefits of Private Mediation?
Private dispute resolution through mediation provides multiple benefits for both parties involved. Rather than dragging out a dispute in court, mediation provides a faster resolution so you can move forward in your life without the worry of a domestic or civil dispute. When you partner with King Law for mediation services in North Carolina, some of the advantages include:
- A timelier resolution
- Reduced costs on the court and legal fees
- Avoiding long days spent in court
- Preventing unexpected rulings from a judge or jury
Our mediators at King Law are prepared to put their experience to work for you. Contact us for experienced help generating solutions to settle your family, civil, or business conflicts in North Carolina today.
Partner with a Skilled Private Mediator in North Carolina
If you need a qualified and experienced mediator for a domestic or civil court in North Carolina, King Law can help guide you through finding the best possible solution to settle your conflict. Our skilled legal team is certified by North Carolina as Family Financial and Superior Court Mediators and has helped countless people resolve their disputes without the expense and distress of litigation in court.
Our dedicated private mediators can travel throughout North Carolina to help you with all of your family law matters. Call us at (888) 748-5464 or fill out the online contact form to schedule one of our mediators or reserve a mediation conference location.