Court Field Trip: Mediation

to kill a mockingbird resized 600We see a lot of grandstanding in mediation.

I think a lot of clients think they’re going to get To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch style attention in court. The sad truth is, however, that if you get 10 minutes you’re lucky.

I know you don’t believe me. Nobody does until they actually spend the $ and time necessary to get their 10 minutes (squeezed in before the lunch break, so you already paid your lawyer for 4 hours plus travel time).

So go ahead, and think I’m some self-interested mediator who just wants to drum up business.

Don’t believe me when I tell you that California has closed entire courthouses since the recession began. Or that in Los Angeles county there’s a monthly mandatory furlough day when there’s no court staff and the courthouse is closed. Shuttered.

Judges getting pink slips? You better believe it.

And this is AFTER you were already probably going to get 2 sentences and a stack of paperwork to hand the judge and then your hearing was over.

Over 41,000 couples get divorced in Los Angeles County each year.

But no, don’t believe me….why should you? You can see for yourself!

Here’s what we put in our summaries and reports:

Court Field Trip: At different points during the mediation session, you each indicated that you might feel like court would be a good option for resolving some of your impasse issues. Before you make a final decision as to whether court would be a good option for you, we’d suggest that you make a trip down to the Superior Court at 111 N. Hill Street, 2nd floor, Los Angeles,CA 90012 and see what happens in the family courtrooms. We think it makes sense for you to have all of the information before you make final choices about going to court or not going to court. Without seeing how the court operates, you won’t know if it’s the best choice for you.

As you know, we’ve painted a fairly bleak picture of the litigation process and pros and cons of using the court to resolve your dispute. But you don’t need to rely on our version of the situation: you can go to court and see for yourself. All court files and proceedings are public record, which means you can look up anyone’s file in the filing room (room 112) or sit in on anyone’s divorce case in any of the family court rooms (most are on the 2nd floor).

By going to court, you can observe the litigants, lawyers, bailiffs and judges. You can see and feel what the court experience might be like for you if you were to choose to go to court on your case. You can get an idea of how much time a judge has to hear each case as well as the opportunity litigants have to speak to the judge, their lawyers, and the other party. You can get an idea of how much attention the court proceedings give to individuals’ goals, values, common interests, and creative non-judicial solutions. We think that you’ll agree with our observations, but it’s important that you see for yourself. Without seeing how the court operates, you won’t know if it’s the best choice for you.

Diana Mercer is the co-author of Making Divorce Work: 8 Essential Keys to Resolving Conflict and Rebuilding Your Life (Perigee 2010). Join the conversation > and check out Diana’s divorce blog on the Huffington Post. Join the community on our video blog .

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